Pilot said 'this is fun' before fatal Blackwater crash

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

A 2004 crash that killed everyone on board -- three crew members and three U.S. troops -- was caused by pilots from a Blackwater plane taking a low-level run through a mountain canyon in Afghanistan, testimony revealed Tuesday.

"I swear to God, they wouldn't pay me if they knew how much fun this was," the doomed plane's cockpit voice recorder captured the pilot saying shortly before the November 27, 2004, crash.

The account of the crash emerged during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Blackwater's performance in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In its November 2006 report on the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that Blackwater provided insufficient oversight and guidance of the pilots involved in the 2004 crash. Dispatchers failed to ensure that pilots followed their flight plan and did not adequately track flights in the air.

The NTSB said the military "did not provide adequate oversight of the contract carrier's operations in Afghanistan."



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/02/blackwater.afghan.crash/index.html

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F'ing cowboys! Hope the families win their lawsuit against the bastards!

[kurth]

1. Blackwater Motto = Iraq For Fun And Profit

[tuckessee]

8. So far Blackwater has only served American interests.

And they've done so with the same level of professionalism exhibited by the Army & Marines.

They're nothing more than a elite extension of the US military in theory & deed.

[Tempest]

10. Blackwater has only served their own interests

If they were serving America's interests, they wouldn't be killing civilians indiscriminately and causing the populations to hate America for it.

[frylock]

12. you're fucking shitting us with this, right?!

there was nothing professional in the way these asshole pilots KILLED 3 service men.

[tabasco]

14. Hahahahahahahaha!!!!

Oh man, that's a good one!

From a former Ranger, let me tell you, you are totally full of shit!

on edit: Is this the reincarnation of sanskritwarrior??? Sure sounds like that tub of crap.

[tuckessee]

24. sanskritwarrior?!?! Me?!?! LOL!

Quite the opposite.

Can you tell me, without insults, exactly what the difference is between Blackwater et al and the US military?

Both groups are prosecuting the atrocity/tragedy called the Iraq War.
Both groups are listed as part of the US Frorce total by the Pentagon.
Both groups are working for the same government implementing the same foreign policy paid for by the same people.
Both groups are essentially unaccountable.
Both groups profit immensely from the war.
Both groups are notorious for using excessive firepower regardless of civilian casualties.
Both groups are guilty of systematic torture.
Both groups are made up of mostly Americans with its share of psychopaths as well as good-intentioned people motivated by patriotism.
Both groups contain people motivated by money ("economic draft", massive re-upping bonuses, etc.)

As far as I can tell, Blackwater et al are nothing more than a specialized semi-elite extension (or new arm) of the US military. So far their actions back this up.

Sure, they get better pay, better deployment options (hell, with Blackwater one can just quit & go home but the Army will toss one's ass in jail) and get to wear non-regulation gear but otherwise I see no difference. .

[subsuelo]

16. true, Blackwater serves American imperialist interests

Just an elite group of terrorists

[makhno]

17. Blackwater serves Blackwater interests

The sad part of the story is the grief of the servicemen's families.

These weren't mil pilots. 37 years old, 5000 hours total. Should've kept to running dope in similar terrain.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. They are Mercs

and are you associated with these money soldiers?

[tuckessee]

25. No, not at all. Never have been & never will be.

Are you associated with those other soldiers? You know, the ones who do the same thing as Blackwater but claim it was their "job" or "duty" or "orders" or something like that.

[physioex]

2. Fine with me....

The only good mercenary is a dead mercenary....

[knight_of_the_star]

4. As long as they get themselves taken out

When they get others like real soldiers caught in the crossfire they can suffer in whatever they get for eternal punishment.

[ProudDad]

3. Maybe we can get them all to take a ride... (n/t)

[Jacobin]

5. Someone forgot to tell him this wasn't a video game

[maseman]

6. Usually when a pilot says

"This is fun" they are up to no good. Of course our US Airforce pilots can have "fun" but they do it extremely professionally. If they are flying at low levels it is for a tachtical reason, not for fun.

[GregW]

9. Like when they are flying under ski lift cables in Italy?

That must have been a fun final ride for the occupants of the gondola.

[Lost4words]

21. darn I said the same thing! sorry !! But you make a good point!

8643

[kineneb]

19. rather like "hey, Earl, watch this"-- cue up the 911 call

never tempt fate, it usually provides hard landings

(Mom made this mistake while horse jumping...horse went left over the jump, she went right...result: she landed and had a broken pelvis... Mom doesn't jump horses anymore...)

[Lost4words]

20. remember the A6 that flew into tram cables in Italy killing 20?

the pilot was trying to fly under the cables to BUZZ the folks in the tram, tha A6 pilot even had his personal video camera running at the time. I am not sure of the division of service but it was US Milatiry!'

That WASNT too stinking professional was it????

Dont kid your self about "Our Guys" there are good and bad in every group, professionals mostly but dont forget the reckless thrill seakers are there as well.

8643

[PDittie]

7. Famous last words of many Darwin Award winners:

"Hey, watch this!" (usually pronounced thi-us)

[Doctor_J]

11. Darwin comes through again

His mills grind slowly, but accurately.

[GregW]

13. Reminds me of this Far Side cartoon...

[Lost4words]

22. HAW, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Thats great! LOL

8643

[makhno]

15. Why are we using contractors in the first place?

Is the military really cheaper by paying fools who couldn't get a job at a regional airline major-like salaries, then having them kill other overpaid fools or, worse yet, military personnel?

Rumsfeld is a traitor who should hang. He fucked those troops with his adolescent "small army" fantasies. Fuck him and his kin. May they rot in hell.

NTSB link:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20041213X01969&key=1

Republicans kill our troops:
"Factors were the operator's failure to require its flight crews to file and to fly a defined route of flight, the operator's failure to ensure that the flight crews adhered to company policies and FAA and DoD Federal safety regulations, and the lack of in-country oversight by the FAA and the DoD of the operator. Contributing to the death of one of the passengers was the operator's lack of flight-locating procedures and its failure to adequately mitigate the limited communications capability at remote sites."

Fuckers. I am disgusted, especially with this whole OAK bullshit on the news instead of this.

[Kurovski]

18. Buckeroo Bonehead.

Ain't it somethin'?

[FM451]

26. SPC Harley David Ronald Miller - RIP (Survived Crash)

I saw this story this morning, and wanted to know more. A few Google searches gave me a disturbing story within the story. One of the 3 Soldires being transported not only survived the crash, but managed to survive 8 to 10 hours after the crash. Searches found the downed plane after 3 days (the ill advised detour by the pilots complicated the search). They found the 2 pilots ejected from the wreckage, half buried in the snow, three others killed instantly in the fuselage, and signs that one survivor struggled to stay alive awaiting rescue. Two frozen urine stains and cigarette butts outside the fuselage. Inside, the survivior, SPC Harley David Ronald Miller, had wrapped himself in a sleeping bag, and kept a supply of water handy. Sadly, he died from exposure and internal bleeding before help could arrive.

"His mother, Washington state resident Chris Miller, 48, is haunted by how her son perished.
'To know, as a mother, he sat out and froze to death bleeding internally is the most horrible feeling,' she said. 'You have nightmares of your child calling to you, and you not being able to save him.' Miller, too, wants Blackwater held accountable."



Picture of the wrecked Blackwater 63:



Picture of SPC Harley David Ronald Miller, his wife and child



Wife and Child



Links for additional articles and pictures.
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress_extra/2007/10/plane_crash_leaves_anger_quest.html
http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2005-10-27/news/err-america/print
http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/millerh.htm

Reading the story makes you angry. Putting a face to SPC Miller, and seeing photos of his family, saddens me so much. Such a waste, for a dammed shortcut!