BBC News Online: Special Report

Apache helicopter crashes in Albania

An army spokesman said the state-of-the-art American aircraft was not under attack when it went down on Monday night.

The badly shaken two-man crew suffered minor injuries and were evacuated to the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital at Tirana airport.

Witnesses said the helicopter's tail appeared to drop moments before the crash, which was followed by a clearly visible explosion.

The area was sealed off while the thousands of rounds of ammunition and dozens of missiles on board were made safe.

A television camera crew reportedly captured the crash on film, but no footage has been made available.

The deadly attack helicopter is one of 24 sent to bolster Nato's ability to search for and destroy Serb army units in Kosovo.

It went down in an area 30 miles north of Tirana's Rinas Airport at approximately 2040 GMT while on a training rescue exercise.

The US Army refused to say whether or not the crash would delay the combat deployment of the Apache flight as the Nato campaign entered its 34th day.

Apaches earned a fearsome reputation during the Gulf War, when they were credited with destroying more than 500 Iraqi tanks as well as hundreds of other vehicles.

But concerns have been raised over use their use in Kosovo, because they are relatively slow and therefore vulnerable to shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and small arms fire.

Relevant Stories

Apache: The all-weather attacker (20 Apr 99 | Kosovo)
Picture gallery: Adding to Nato's firepower (20 Apr 99 | Europe)
Bombing threatens Serbs' environment (19 Apr 99 | Sci/Tech)
Shea: Nato will not admit defeat (18 Apr 99 | Europe)

Internet Links

Aviation Encyclopedia: AH-64 Apache
Boeing Rotorcraft: AH-64 Apache
Federation of American Scientists: AH-64 Apache
Nato
Serbian Ministry of Information

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