4 Iraqi plane crash victims were air commandos from Florida

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/wptv/article/0,2547,TCP_1213_3821644,00.html

Four victims of an Iraqi air force plane crash were stationed at Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Military sources told the Northwest Florida Daily News that the four killed in Monday's turboprop crash were the first Hurlburt-based air commandos to die in the Iraqi war. Their names and unit have not been released.

<snip>

The Tampa-based Central Command issued a statement saying the plane was on an operational mission. No other details have been released about the mission or the cause of the crash. The single-engine plane is normally outfitted to carry six people.

<snip>

The 7SL was one of seven donated by the United Arab Emirates to the newly formed Iraqi air force.

[ugarte]

1. Crashed near the Iran border

Maybe they had been operating inside Iran?

[Bozita]

12. iirc, Iran complained about air incursions along its Iraqi border

a month or two ago

[babylonsister]

2. Who knew Iraq had planes, and what were those

soldiers doing in one? This sounded very bizarre to me.

[JohnyCanuck]

4. There've been stories in the press

of the re-emergence of a fledgling Iraqi air force, most of their anticipated duties being air patrols of pipelines and border regions along with troop transportation. Their equipment in accordance with these types of roles would be mainly helicopters and light observation aircraft and I believe they now have a few multiengine C130 transports as well. However in the articles I have seen there was no anticipation they'll be flying F15 and F16 type fighter aircraft any time soon.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. Why no cause?

Was it shot down? was it shot down BY US (a la Tillman)?

[daleo]

5. Some kind of covert operation, by the sound of it

The plane was an "Iraqi Airforce" plane, which was donated by the United Arab Emirates? And it was flying four U.S. air commandos, on an unspecified mission? 80 miles northwest of Baghdad would place it very near the Iranian border. Perhaps it was shot down after "straying" into Iranian airspace.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. absoulutely covert and since it was 2 people short of it's

loading, that probably means they were going to rescue or snatch 1 or 2 people from somewhere.

[formercia]

10. STOL aircraft

That plane can land and take off in a very short distance. Unless they hit something on landing ot takeoff, nothing short of being blown out of the sky would preclude survival in an accident.

[Roland99]

14. Or had just dropped someone off.

[daleo]

15. That is an interesting angle

As is the "drop off" idea. It sure seems likely it has to do with Iran, then.

[formercia]

6. Heres the link to the aircraft specs

Give me one of thes and i'll be headed for Alaska:

http://www.aerocompinc.com/airplanes/CA7SL/


wooHoo!

[Az_lefty]

13. it's a bush pilots plane...

pure utility, these things don't just fall out of the sky

[Frederik]

7. What happened to the two F-18s that crashed?

A month or two ago? Were the pilots rescued? Anybody know?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. they collided with each other

and both bodies were recovered

[UpInArms]

11. DoD Identifies Air Force Casualties

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050601-3461.html

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The airmen died May 30 in the crash of an Iraqi air force aircraft during a training mission in eastern Diyala province. They are:



Maj. William Downs, 40, of Winchester, Va., assigned to the 6th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.



Capt. Jeremy Fresques, 26, of Clarkdale, Ariz., assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.



Capt. Derek Argel, 28, of Lompoc, Calif., assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.



Staff Sgt. Casey Crate, 26, of Spanaway, Wash., assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.



The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

[catmandu57]

16. Three officers

Major, and two captains. That's got me scratching my head, what are officers doing out there? If it was some kind of ordinary mission I could see a captain being involved, maybe the other stols were flying with them and somebody got the command plane.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

18. BING BING BING

Command plane... thus the two short passengers... weight of comms equipment.

[daleo]

19. Maybe planning a meeting with Iranian dissident leadership

Thus, the high proportion of officers. Working on a joint strike or sabotage mission perhaps.

[leftchick]

17. very curious indeed....

Why am I thinking they were on some mission negroponte dreamed up?

[Rick Myers]

20. Airmen Killed in Crash Were Special Ops

WASHINGTON - The four U.S. airmen who perished Monday in the crash of an Iraqi aircraft were commandos from special operations units based in Florida, the Pentagon disclosed on Wednesday.

Their deaths brought to 20 the number of Air Force members who have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. Nine of the 20 were killed in action; the other 11 were classified as "non-hostile" deaths.

Although the Pentagon has announced no cause for Monday's crash, the Air Force has classified the four deaths as non-hostile.

Killed in the Iraqi aircraft crash were Maj. William Downs, 40, of Winchester, Va.; Capt. Jeremy Fresques, 26, of Clarkdale, Ariz.; Capt. Derek Argel, 28, of Lompoc, Calif.; and Staff Sgt. Casey Crate, 26, of Spanaway, Wash.

An Iraqi pilot also died.

(snip)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050601/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_airmen

[Rick Myers]

21. As a USAF vet, this smells funny!

:grr:

[lovuian]

22. Truly very sad for the men who died!!!

So Sad!!!

[babylonsister]

23. Non-hostile? Keep those KIA numbers down? nt

[Rick Myers]

24. Just found out my sister knows the wife of one of these men!

And one of my best friends died as part of this unit.

Wow!!

Small world!!!

:grr:

on edit: my friend died during Gulf War One!

[Maple]

25. If the pilot was Iraqi I guess

not all 'suicide bombers' are driving cars.

[Rick Myers]

26. One of my thoughts...

Who knows??? :grr:

[ConfuZed]

27. I've always thought if an iraqi was piloting he crashed the plane n/t

[radar]

28. Maybe a pathfinder-type setup?

"...My job will be to make sure my team is fully trained, equipped and ready to do our mission as combat controllers that pave the way for other forces to arrive..."

Were dead U.S. airmen the vanguard for an assault on Iran?
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/001941.html