Isle pilots hurt
in Bosnian crash

The 2 received minor injuries
when their helicopter went down
during a training flight

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

Military officials have begun an investigation of a helicopter crash last week in Bosnia involving two Schofield pilots flying a routine training mission.

The two pilots received minor injuries after their Kiowa Warrior scout helicopter crashed near a minefield.

Capt. Beau Tibbits, a member of Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, was treated at the scene and released, said 25th Division spokesman Troy Griffin.

Capt. Darren Musico, also with the 25th Aviation Regiment unit, was hospitalized overnight at Eagle Base in Tuzla, which is the American military base in Bosnia.

The Army said the OH-58D Kiowa helicopter was on a routine low-level training mission last Tuesday when it crashed near the village of Vozuca in northern Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The helicopter struck some high-tension wires around 3 p.m., made a hard landing, tipped over and came to rest within 400 yards of a marked minefield.

Half of the helicopter was on a road, reducing traffic to one lane. The wreck was to have been hauled back to Eagle Base on Friday after an investigation of the crash site was completed.

Griffin said the crash was classified as an Army Class A accident, meaning that there was more than $1 million worth of damage.

A safety board investigation as well as an internal investigation by 25th Aviation Regiment are underway to determine accountability and whether any of the pilots will be disciplined.

The Kiowa is used for air reconnaissance and security missions. It carries Stinger and Hellfire missiles, Hydra 70 rockets and .50- caliber and 7.62-mm machine guns.

The accident was the sixth involving Schofield Barracks soldiers since 1990. Earlier this year, one soldier was killed by a hand grenade during night training. Army investigations into the mishap are pending.

The last 25th Division aviation accident occurred on Feb. 12, 2001 when six soldiers were killed and 11 were injured after two Black Hawk helicopters collided during another night training exercise over the Kahuku training range. It was Hawaii's worst Army training accident.

Past Army accidents in Hawaii have included:

>>	1990 -- One Hawaii Army National Guard soldier was killed when he was accidentally shot by a M-60 machine gun during a summer annual training exercise at the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island.
>>	March 5, 1996 -- Pilot and co-pilot of an AH-1 Cobra gunship were killed at Schofield Barracks when their engine failed, causing their helicopter to crash.
>>	April 12, 2000 -- A soldier with the 65th Engineer Battalion was killed and four others injured in an explosion when a mistake was made rigging two bangalore torpedoes at the Big Island's Pohakuloa Training Area.
>>	April 14, 2002 -- One soldiers was killed and three were injured when a hand grenade exploded during a night training accident at Schofield Barracks.

More than 1,000 25th Division soldiers under the command of Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack left Schofield in March 4 for six months of peacekeeping duties in Bosnia as part of the 25th Division's first European deployment.

The Tropic Lightning soldiers are a part of Task Force Eagle, which also includes Army National Guard members from Idaho, Montana, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Task Force Eagle was formed in 1995 following the NATO-imposed cease-fire that ended the four-year Balkan war.