May 30 (AP) — An Iraqi aircraft with four Americans and an Iraqi on board crashed Monday in eastern Diyala province during an operational mission, the military said.
An "Iraqi aircraft" with "four U.S. personnel and one Iraqi on board" crashed sometime before noon, the military said in a statement.
The announcement did not say what type of aircraft was involved or whether the five people on board had died.
U.S.-led coalition forces had secured the area where the crash occurred in Diyala, northwest of Baghdad. The statement added that the crash was reported to a joint communication center in the town of Khanaqin, near the Iranian border.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005. 5:18am (AEST)
Iraqi Air Force aircraft crashes in eastern Iraq
An Iraqi Air Force aircraft has crashed north-east of Baghdad close to the Iranian border with four US military personnel and an Iraqi on board, the US military said in a statement.
Sources said the aircraft went down during a sandstorm near the town of Khanaqin shortly before noon local time.
It was not immediately clear if the aircraft was a helicopter or fixed-wing plane.
The US military said forces in the area had secured the crash site.
It did not say whether those on board had survived.
"They are at the site now trying to ascertain what the situation is," a spokeswoman for the US military in Baghdad said.
"We don't yet know what caused the aircraft to go down - it's all under investigation."
- Reuters
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1380567.htm