CH-47 Report Removed

A final report on the Aug. 6 crash of a CH-47 helicopter in Afghanistan, which killed all 38 personnel aboard, has been pulled from U.S. Central Command's website due to inconsistencies in the redaction process, a CENTCOM spokesman said today.

CENTCOM released a five-page executive summary of the report on Oct. 12, which is still available online. The full report was released on Oct. 13, according to a post on the CENTCOM website. A link is provided at the bottom of the post for the full report, which routes to the CENTCOM information portal. However, instead of the report, a message appears that states there are no items to show.

CENTCOM spokesman Maj. T.G. Taylor cited inconsistencies found in the redaction of sensitive material from the report. He could not say when it would be re-posted.

In fact, the report has now been posted and pulled twice, for the same reason, Taylor added.

InsideDefense.com covered the crash review results earlier this month:

Report: CH-47 Was Shot Down By Rocket-Propelled Grenade In Afghanistan

A rocket-propelled grenade shot down a Chinook helicopter flying a mission in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 6, according to a report issued by U.S. Central Command on Oct. 12.

"The shoot-down was not the result of a baited ambush," the report states, "but rather the result of the enemy being at a heightened state of alert due to 3 1/2 hours of ongoing coalition air operations concentrated over the northwestern portion of the Tangi Valley."

The investigation determined that when the helicopter neared a landing zone in an attempt to collect an Army Ranger platoon, two RPGs were fired at the aircraft in succession by suspected Taliban fighters in a two-story mud-brick building about 220 meters south of the helicopter.