Two American pilots were killed Dec. 26 in a helicopter accident in western Baghdad. The nighttime accident occurred as a result of a midair collision between two twin-engine AH-64 Apache gunships. The other helo landed at a base in Taji, north of Baghdad, according to 'unnamed defense officials' at the Pentagon. Military officials were also unable to say if weather was a factor in the crash.

No hostile fire was involved with the accident that killed the two Task Force Baghdad helicopter pilots, a Multinational Force Iraq statement said.

The Iraqi theater of operation, and some of the surrounding territory is a tough job for helo operators. Helo accidents have been a sadly regular occurrence over the last few years, including two US Black Hawk helicopters that suffered a midair, under fire, in Mosul in November 2003, killing 17 soldiers, just a week after another Black Hawk was shot down killing six. Another Black Hawk was shot down near Falluja in January 2004, killing all nine on board. Last January this year, a CH-53 crashed close to the Jordanian border in Anbar province, western Iraq, killing 30 Marines and one sailor.

In the meantime, coalition aircraft flew 38 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom on Dec. 26. U.S. Air Force F-16s destroyed an enemy position near Balad, using three precision-guided munitions.

U.S. Air Force F-15s provided close-air support to coalition troops in near Salman Pak. In addition, 13 U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

FMI: www.mnf-iraq.com, www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil, www.centaf.af.mil