Blackhawk helicopter crashes in Iraq killing 14 U.S. soldiers

August 22, 2007

Baghdad, Iraq - A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed in during a night operation in northern Iraq Wednesday, killing fourteen more American soldiers.

A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed in during a night operation in northern Iraq Wednesday killing fourteen more American soldiers.

"Two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters were on a night operation when one of the aircraft crashed," the military said in a statement. "Initial indications are that the aircraft experienced a mechanical malfunction. There were no indications of hostile fire."

The dead were all members of the Army's Task Force Lightning, which operates across northern Iraq, and included four crew members and 10 passengers.

The military has launched an investigation into the crash, the deadliest since January 2005, when a Marine helicopter crash in western Iraq killed 31 troops.

Since the start of the war, 3,714 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.