[armyinfmom63]

Tuesday: New Details in Chopper Crash
Tuesday, May 09, 2006, 11:51am
Friday's helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed 10 Fort Drum soldiers was so violent the helicopter ended up hundreds of feet from its landing zone.

The helicopter "came to rest at the bottom of a ravine approximately 300 feet below the hilltop landing zone," according to a statement from the Combined Forces Command.

In addition, the helicopter burned, according to Tuesday's editions of the Watertown Times.

The crash happened as the helicopter was taking on troops, 10th Mountain Division spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fitzpatrick said.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fitzpatrick said the CH 47 Chinook helicopter had six soldiers aboard as it landed on a mountaintop.

The chopper took on four more soldiers from a group on the ground and then - for reasons still unclear - rolled down the mountain side, Fitzpatrick said.

The crash Friday night was the worst for Fort Drum since March 2003, when 11 soldiers were killed in a crash on post.

Officials said the fallen soldiers' next of kin have been notified. However, the names of the soldiers will not be released to the public until Tuesday or - possibly - Wednesday morning.

(Note: The names of the soldiers killed are starting to appear publicly in their hometowns. We'll note them here, and NewzJunky is posting links to stories about the soldiers.)

The first four casualties identified publicly are:

- Sgt. Bryan Allen Brewster, 24, of Victorville, Calif.

- David "J.R." Timmons Jr., 23, of Lewisville, N.C.

- Army Warrant Officer Second Class Christopher Donaldson, 28, Effingham, Illinois

- Staff Sergeant Chris Howick, from Hamburg, NY

Carlos Saenz of Henderson, Nevada was identified Monday as being in the crash. However, a Fort Drum spokesman told 7 News no one by that name was on board the copter.

A Las Vegas, Nevada television station reported Saenz died in the crash, based on information from family members.

It took two days to recover all the bodies, a job that was not finished until Sunday, Fitzpatrick said.

(Our picture is a file picture, taken from training at Fort Drum earlier this year.)

The soldiers were taking part in an offensive to root out Taliban and al-Qaida militants in Afghanistan.

Additional aircraft and crews were also at the landing zone and confirmed that enemy forces did not cause the crash, the military said.

The crash occurred in Kunar province about 150 miles east of the capital. The site was said to be so remote it could not be reached by vehicle.

The crash took place at 14,000 feet. Only Chinook helicopters can operate at that altitude.

The police chief of Kunar province, General Abdul Ghafar, said the helicopter crashed about 10 miles northeast of the US base in Asadabad. He said the crash site was a day's walk from any passable road.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and comrades of the soldiers who were involved in this crash," said Major General Benjamin Freakley, the 10th Mountain Division commander who is commanding the combined task force in Afghanistan.