U.S. Helicopter Crash Kills 5 In Italy

(CBS/AP)  A U.S. Army helicopter crashed in northern Italy on Thursday, killing at least five people on board, the Army said.

Eleven U.S. service members were on board the UH-60 Army Black Hawk helicopter, U.S. Army Europe said in a statement released by its headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.

Four bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the UH-60 Blackhawk Army chopper, which went down near Treviso, and another six people on board were injured and sent to area hospitals, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the national fire department.

The U.S. Army said one of the injured people later died.

Television footage showed the charred remains of the chopper, which broke into at least two pieces, smoldering in a swampy field.

The Black Hawk helicopter which crashed was part of Company G of 52nd Aviation Regiment of U.S. Army, reports CBS News correspondent Sabina Castelfranco.

A spokesman at the U.S. Air Force base in Aviano, near Venice, Senior Airman Justin Weaver, said the chopper involved had taken off from Aviano.

He said the Blackhawk crashed in the countryside outside of Treviso, in the uninhabited area of St. Lucia di Piave. The location is about 25 miles southwest of Aviano, which in turn is about 70 miles northeast of Venice.

Television footage showed the charred remains of the chopper, which broke into at least two large pieces, smoldering in a swampy field.

The UH-60 Blackhawk is the Army's general utility helicopter - used for transporting troops and equipment, air assault, medical evacuations and to support special operations as well as other missions.

An entire 11-person, fully equipped infantry squad can be lifted in a single Blackhawk, according to the Army web site, which says the helicopter has a crew of four.

CBS News has learned that the Black Hawk did take off from Aviano but is not based there.

The statement said that the names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of their families, and that the cause of the crash was not immediately known.

[grrenkarma]

i will accept your right to express your opinion because it is what my family stands for and is why we do our duty. i will not accept disrespect to my family though. my cousin died in that crash. i hope that your ignorance is not long lived, or that in time, through whatever karma or deity you believe in decides to visit upon you the suffering my family has gone through because of your thoughtless ( i hope) and unthinking remarks, you understand. i am saddened to think that this is all that comes from the proud service my family has given.

[hilofi]

zootallures, you''re just an idiot. enough said.

[zootallures2]

It''''s ridiculous that people are getting on here making dumb comments when people have been injured and lost their lives.

Posted by lilbit1023 at 03:24 AM : Nov 09, 2007

You don''t teach any respect or make any logical points with it, so don''t expect any. It''s 2007. The holy sacrad troops of 1930''s Germany is old schtick. You are looking dumber every day. There are 300 million people with a right to bear arms. I don''t need some steroid marine to be my daddy. Bite me and your troops too.

[b-easy63]

Has anyone ever looked into what problems there are with military helicopters? They seem to be in a quite a few crashes...maybe the people who make them are skimping on some of the parts, or maybe they subcontracted the parts out to China or something?

[hilofi]

I agree with lilbit1023. I also knew some of the deceased and I can tell you it was Italy. My friends were going on an incentive ride in a helicopter and it crashed. It sucks.

To those people posting ridiculous and ignorant comments have no credibility on these subjects. You sit back in your homes and watch your tv and complain about this and about that. Bush/Cheney/terrorism have nothing to do with anything. We''d all of been stationed in Italy regardless. So if you have no intelligent comments to add, please just respect the families and friends of those who died and keep it to yourself. Please.

[lilbit1023]

It''s ridiculous that people are getting on here making dumb comments when people have been injured and lost their lives. Saying Italy was not code for Iraq. I really know some of these people and this happened in Italy. Please pay respect for these people who served their country and really were wonderful people. Just another example of bad things happening to good people!!!

[zootallures2]

Black Hawk helicopter...Maybe you should call it the doe doe bird?

[howcould]

hope its not them faulty propeller shafts. Ya know? The whole world is seduced by cheap.

[dibear1]

My son is a very close friend of one of the brave soldiers who is in critical condition ~ at least we think he still is as another one of these young men have passed bringing the death toll to 6. Please pray for a young soldier named Mike that he may not only survive by God''s grace but not be parallyzed or worse for life. GOD BLESS ALL OUR TROOPS ~

[mnj0214]

I think it''s terrible that people are dead, and all everyone is talking about is political BS and terrorist agenda. These are people''s LIVES here... this wasn''t anything political. This wasn''t terrorist related. This is tragedy. I lived in Aviano until 4 months ago. Due to no names being released yet, I''m left unknown if any of my close friends were in that accident. Those who are affected by this are left to wait, wonder, and ache, and all you guys care to comment on is biased BS that you want to sling, propaganda to throw in someone''s face, and shoot off your own agenda to anyone who will listen. GROW A HEART: at least pretend to feel for those who suffer from this event, and get your head out of your own "you know what".