2009 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash

2009 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash

A Pakistan Army Mi-17 helicopter, similar to the crashed aircraft
Occurrence
Date	July 3, 2009
Summary	[needs update]
Site	Khyber Pass, Pakistan 34°05′35″N 71°08′45″E / 34.09306°N 71.14583°E / 34.09306; 71.14583
Aircraft
Aircraft type	MI-17
Operator	Pakistan Army
Flight origin	Parachinar
Destination	Peshawar
Passengers	37[1]
Crew	4
Fatalities	41[1]
Survivors	0

The 2009 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash occurred on July 3, 2009, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. A Russian-manufactured Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter of the Pakistan Army crashed in Orakzai Agency. According to a source within the Army the crash was due to a technical fault. Some sources reported local people attributing the crash to militant activity.^[2][3] The crash site was Chapar Feroze Khel, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Peshawar, on the border of the semi-autonomous Orakzai and Khyber tribal agencies.^[2] The area is remote and also full of militants, which hampered the rescue efforts.^[1]

Official accounts stated 26 soldiers were killed in the incident,^[4] but other sources put the toll at 41 people on board, all of them being killed, including 19 from the paramilitary Frontier Corps, 18 army personnel and 4 crew members. The Mi-17 is normally limited to carrying 32 passengers.^{[citation needed]} Most of the personnel on board were due to go on leave.^[1]

The helicopter was flying from Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, to Peshawar.^[1][5] Previously there were unconfirmed reports that the helicopter might have been hit by ground fire from militants, with four casualties reported, but these were contradicted by an Inter Services Public Relations report. There was an ongoing operation in the area against militants linked to Al-Qaeda at the time of the crash.^[6] Militants have claimed they shot down the aircraft and that the Taliban captured the pilot; if true this was the first such incident.^[7]