C-17 Hit over Iraq (lands safely)

[Bill Mostellar]

Heard it on Paul Harvey, but few stories on the web yet...

US military plane hit by missile in Baghdad


Witness says Air Force C-17 transport aircraft hit by surface-to-air missile on takeoff from Baghdad airport.


WASHINGTON - A US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft was hit by a missile Wednesday as it took off from Baghdad, but it landed safely, a US defense official said, adding that no one was hurt.

"They believe it was hit by a surface-to-air missile based on witness reports," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The C-17, which was taking off from the Baghdad airport when it was struck, the official said.

It was believed to be only the second time a plane has been hit by a surface to air missile since the end of major combat operations in Iraq May 1.

The official said the incident was similar to the first on November 22 when a DHL cargo plane was hit by a shoulder fired SA-14 surface-to-air missile as it was taking off from the Baghdad airport.

DHL resumed flights into Iraq December 3.
Middle East News (Slow link)

 

[Purple Haze]

FOX:
A high-level Pentagon source said a U.S. Air Force transport plane that was forced into an emergency landing at Baghdad airport when an engine caught fire had been hit by a surface-to-air missile.

The guerrilla strike on the C-17, which took place on Tuesday, injured one of the 16 passengers and crew and highlighted the danger to air traffic at Baghdad's airport, a key entry point where last month a ground-fired missile hit a DHL cargo plane, which also landed safely. Just as in the DHL strike, the C-17 had just lifted off from Baghdad airport before dawn when its engine exploded and it was forced to land.

AP:
Meanwhile, a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane was forced to return to Baghdad Tuesday after it was hit by a ground-fired missile, according to a senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In Baghdad, military spokeswoman Capt. Carrie Clear said the plane reported an engine explosion on takeoff and that one of the 16 people on board was slightly injured by the blast.