On his first deployment, he felt fortunate to be surrounded by veteran pilots he could learn from. The forward rotor system then tore off, stressed by the imbalance and the strain of carrying what would normally be a shared load. The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. One rocket struck a rotor blade, causing the aircraft to crash almost instantly. Pinterest. Warnings from her crew to turn the Chinook back or cancel their mission went unheeded. Published Aug 6, 2018 5:05 PM EDT. [43][44], American rules of engagement were tightened by Gen. Stanley McChrystal in 2009 in order to improve American counterinsurgency strategy. Through the goggles, the landing zone shone brilliantly. Also very suspicious that the only member of Seal Team Six that is still alive and in the public sphere happened to be the guy that killed Bin Laden?? 5 U.S. Its almost always a miss.. On this day 11 years ago, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter-call sign Extortion 17-was shot down in Afghanistan. [25][original research? ], Four years after the downing of Extortion 17, there were many theories about a possible government coverup. The RPG is not a laser. August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. Advertising Notice As he did, he felt the craft leveling off. As the Chinook CH-47 transport helicopter (call sign: Extortion 17) carrying 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan commandos, an Afghan civilian interpreter and a U.S. military dog approached, the. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. In less than five seconds, the helicopter crashed, killing all occupants, and approximately 30 seconds later, one of the AH-64 Apache helicopters radioed in the crash. (Smithsonian Books, September 2017). For Lee, there was no time to reflect on how close he had come to dying. Night Stalker pilots and crew rigorously train for nighttime raids, like the one in Juy Zarin. When the auto-complete results are available, use the up and down arrows to review and Enter to select. Their target was a Taliban commander responsible for ambushes and other attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces. A few minutes past 2 a.m.on August 6, 2011, at a dusty forward operating base40 miles south of Kabul, Afghanistan, the rotors of two U.S. Army CH-47D Chinooks began to turn. Lee and his friend Bryan Nichols flew their Chinook into battle several times the first night, dropping off troops at a landing zone (LZ) almost 10,000 feet above sea level. It is considered the worst loss of American lives in a single incident in the Afghanistan campaign, surpassing Operation Red Wings in 2005. In a new book The Final Mission of Extortion 17 published by Smithsonian Books, journalist and photographer Ed Darack revisits the shootdown of Extortion 17, a Chinook bearing U.S. and . The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six, and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan Hardcover - September 19, 2017 by Ed Darack (Author) 223 ratings Editors' pick Best History See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover Six weeks later, at around 10:40 p.m., an assault team of Army Rangers and Afghan special operations forces were dropped into an LZ on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban commander named Qari Tahir, who had been responsible for a series of attacks and ambushes in the Tangi Valley, not far from Shank. An Afghan official, speaking anonymously a few days after the attack, speculated that the Taliban had laid a trap, that they had purposely put out false information about a meeting involving the Taliban commander. Capable of loitering overhead for hours undetected, small fleets of unmanned craft passed imagery to mission planners before and during the raid at Juy Zarin, allowing them to recognize individual fighters, learn their habits, pinpoint where they slept, and identify the types of weapons they carried. "It's a math problem. It just wasnt.. Should the Apache pilots have fired into the stand of trees after the two fighters ducked out of sight? Editors note: This story originally appeared in October 2017. Caring is more than just slapping a bumper sticker on your car, he said. The sheer amount of experience with our pilots, flight engineers and back-seaters and mechanics offered a wealth of knowledge, he said. And why was the fire control officer of the AC-130 Gunship flying above denied permission . One AH-64 crew, after identifying the men as enemy combatants, fired on them with their gunships 30mm cannon, killing six. We were on goggles the whole time. The guy was incredibly skilled.. He finished his contract with the Army shortly afterward, and that September enrolled in Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. The US soldiers killed in the 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shoot-down with the call sign Extortion 17 (Photo: XY) SGT Alexander J. Bennett SPC Spencer Duncan (youngest onboard) CWO Bryan J. Nichols His father Billy Vaughn recounted Thursday a phone call from his son following the White House . There's also that little issue that came up when 6 Navy SEALs' funerals were conducted by a Muslim Cleric that condemned them to Hell during the service. Cookie Settings, 5,000-Year-Old Tavern With Food Still Inside Discovered in Iraq, Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar, The Surprisingly Scientific Roots of Monkey Bars, Kids Start Forgetting Early Childhood Around Age 7, Artificial Sweetener Tied to Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds. Several minutes later, a 20-man Pathfinder team (specializing in downed-aircraft rescue and recovery) arrived at the site. That June, the U.S. military launched Operation Hammer Down to drive out insurgents entrenched in remote strongholds of eastern Afghanistan. The helicopter plunged tail first. [11] Seventeen U.S. Navy SEALs remained in reserve at the forward operating base. I was terrified. BUT the Chief Command and those who elected him will pay for there failure to seek Yahwahs guidance before going to war or to vote for a new president! American signals intelligence aircraft intercepted these transmissions and subsequently tracked the individual and his accomplice. Troops", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2011_Afghanistan_Boeing_Chinook_shootdown&oldid=1142506992, 2 U.S. Navy SEALs from Naval Special Warfare Group 1, 4 U.S. But one thing that doesnt fade is never forgetting what they did.. On Aug. 6, 2011, insurgent forces in Afghanistan shot down an American aircraft. | Restrained by strict rules of engagement in force at the time, the helicopter crews could not have fired without a strong indication of hostile intent. She had just given birth to their first child. Ninty-six days after the death of Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team Six, an old Vietnam era Army Reserve helicopter, call sign "Extortion 17," was shot down in the Wardak Province, Tangi River Valley, Afghanistan on Aug 6, 2011. 3 U.S. Army Reserve personnel from the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. On this day 11 years ago, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicoptercall sign Extortion 17was shot down in Afghanistan. Tragically, as Extortion 17 was nearing its landing zone, Taliban fighters, hidden in a building, fired two or three rocket-propelled grenades at close range, leaving the pilot no chance to perform evasive maneuvers. In combat, its mission is to transport large teams of elite assault troops, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, to and from the battlefield. He said, "And now, to our honor roll of American Service Personnel killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. [1][5][6][7][8] At 30 American military personnel killed, the shootdown of Extortion 17 represents the greatest single-incident loss of American lives in Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan, surpassing the 16 lost in the downing of Turbine 33, a 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) MH-47 helicopter, during Operation Red Wings on 28 June 2005.[2]. Fallen Angel.. Carter and Nichols continued the descent. By Ranger assault helicopters had already engaged the enemy and killed six of eight Taliban fighters, causing the other two to retreat. Following a scorched earth tactic may have killed the two shootersand possibly a greater number of innocentsprior to Extortion 17s return that night, but counterinsurgency doctrine dictates that such tactics lead to potentially far worse long-term consequences. The helicopter carrying the SEALs proceeded to the landing zone alone, without external lighting. The image released and purported to be Bin Laden was a blended image of an old Bin Laden pic and an image of a different terrorist that was killed in battle. The crash sent shock waves throughout U.S. special operations. The IRF also included two SEALs from another team, five Navy special operations support personnel, three Air Force special tactics airmen, seven Afghan National Army commandos, a translator, and a combat assault dog. But even a precisely aimed shot fired from an unguided weapon by a seasoned fighter is subject to the ballistics-altering whims of atmospheric variation, subtle and undetected flaws in launcher or projectile, and uncontrollable environmental factors such as wind gusts, large temperature variations, or even particulates in the air. Extortion 17 and 16 werent MH-47s and their crews were not Night Stalkers. [42], In 2017, Air Force captain Joni Marquez, the firing officer on an AC-130 gunship that had accompanied Extortion 17 on the final flight, made a similar claim. Joining the 15 members of SEAL Team 6, two pilots and three-man crew inside Extortion 17: ten other Navy and Air Force personnel, eight Afghans and a combat assault dog named Bart. Eleven U.S. servicemen aboard Extortion 17 entered the military after the 9/11 attacks, answering the call to arms as so many brave Americans have done throughout the history of our great country. Monday, 06 August 2012, marks one year since the tragic downing of EXTORTION 17 in Tangi, Afghanistan. In fact, the conflict was heating up. The crash is referred to as Extortion 17 by the callsign of the CH-47 Chinook helicopter involved in the crash. To find answers to many of the outstanding questions regarding Extortion 17, a congressional oversight committee held a hearing on February 27, 2014. Austin Williams visits the gravesite of U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher C. Campbell in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 2016. A senior Afghan government official, speaking anonymously, said that Taliban commander Qari Tahir had fed American forces false information about a meeting of insurgent leaders and fighters waited for the helicopter from both sides of a steep valley: "The Taliban knew which route the helicopter would take. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment(General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Staff Sgt. August 6, 2017 marks six years since 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter call sign Extortion 17 was shot down in Afghanistan. Touch device users can explore by touch or with swipe . "[30], On 12 August 2011, Jim Lehrer of the PBS NewsHour announced that he would report the Honor Roll at the end of the program with names and photographs of all 30 men. He was probably in the top 1 percent of Army aviators, Lee said. The duo may also have had no ties to Tahir or any of his suspected fighters, and attacked the helicopter on their own. About a dozen of the 33 troops in the back of the helicopter suffered broken bones, heavy bruises and scrapes. It would never return. The second shot hit the rear tail rotor assembly. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a62b75e7a99f5de39e28d378788f7ec9" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Content on this website is free to use and share, but please provide a link back to Spec Ops Magazine as a source. Qari Tahir, the man our forces were attempting to capture or kill on August 5, 2011, isone of many Taliban leaders who dedicate their lives to a corrupt agenda that seeks to eliminate freedom, equality, and prosperity in exchange for a medieval society built on violent extremism and wanton destruction. Hs unit called itself Extortion Company. One of his Chinooks, flying under the call sign Extortion 17 (one-seven), was tasked with the special operations mission the night of Aug. 6. In March 2009, the U.S. 10th Mountain Division established a base in Tangi Valley after increased Taliban activity in the area. Of those 38 lost, 22 were members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the Naval Special Warfare unit responsible for the killing of notorious 9/11 mastermind Osama He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Spc. extortion 17 crash photos. God bless all of them- the bravest of the brave. According to officials, the team included 17 SEALs, five Navy special operations troops who support the SEALs, three Air Force airmen, a five-member Army air crew and a military dog, along with. Less than five seconds after the RPG round hit, the helicopter spun uncontrollably, plummeting into a dry creek bed and erupting in a ball of fire that killed all on board. [citation needed] Doubts about this story were raised by families and other concerned citizens despite the fact that the Navy SEAL team aboard Extortion 17 was a different squadron than that which had killed Osama bin Laden three months earlier. In 2006, he was called into Afghanistan, where he turned 25. unfolded that night are commonly referred to as Extortion 17, which is the call sign for the helicopter transporting the special op-erations personnel. Whether enemy fire brought down the Chinook or a tree strike would never be known for sure. The IRF commander then made a critical decision: In order to get everyone on the ground as quickly as possible and deny the Taliban time to react, he ordered the entire force to fly in Extortion 17. Many of these SEALs were made famous, credited with the killing of Osama bin Laden. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. On the Extortion 17 crash, credible journalism was produced on this subject by Ed Darack in his book, "The Final Mission of Extortion 17." The SEALs who died in the crash belonged to Gold Squadron, while the SEALs who killed bin Laden belonged to Red Squadron. [11][24] These reports were erroneous; the CH-47D airframe does not contain flight recorders, although the MH-47 variant does have a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Extortion 16 flew empty. And while all military helicopters carry countermeasures for guided missiles, nothing can interdict the dumb luck of an unguided RPG round sailing through the air. Terms of Use It does not fly in a straight line, and there is no way to know what exact path it will takejust a fairly good idea of its trajectory.. [7][27][28] During the battle, American forces observed a small group of Taliban trying to flee the scene. Its crazy how many times I can think of where me or the guys I was with had to do that.. Editor's Note: On August 6, 2021, 30 American military servicemen and a U.S. military dog were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter - call sign Extortion 17 - was shot down in Afghanistan. That's the only route, so they took positions on either side of the valley on mountains and as the helicopter approached, they attacked it with rockets and other modern weapons. Now deep in the Tangi Valley, their night vision goggles showing the world around them in greenish hues, the IRF team members readied to hit the ground running as the pilots slowed Extortion 17 and descended toward the village. A typical combat mission in Afghanistan leaves little margin for error, requiring Chinook pilots to land on tiny, makeshift sites on mountain slopes where any tree, bush or rock could be hiding an enemy fighter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. But at least you should care about them and appreciate what were asking of them.. The team boarded Extortion 17 with Dave Carter and Bryan Nichols at the controls. He was also an instructor at the High Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (see Triple Threat: High, Hot, and Heavy, Aug. 2014), where many U.S. and foreign helicopter pilots train for mountainous and high-altitude flying, often before deployment to Afghanistan. Over time, certain memories will fade, certain details will fade. Flying low, the pilots have to maneuver a machine weighing up to 50,000 pounds over mountains, under cover of darkness, in swirling wind and dust, wearing night vision goggles. Why did it happen? The SEAL task force was monitoring this activity, and they were soon called upon to deploy quickly into the northern end of the valley to intercept Tahir and capture him and those moving with him. "The downing of Extortion 17 was a catastrophic and unprecedented tragedy for our nation," Reid testified. When the shock subsided, questions arose and persisted. On this night, Aug. 6, 2011, something went terribly wrong. So much of the war is fought in areas where these helicopters have to fly at high altitudes, where the thin air can strain the performance of the engines and rotor blades, said Ed Darack, author of the recently published book, The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan. Im a 25 year veteran involved in many support missions and I find this downing of Ext 17 very suspect indeed! His account of the brave pilots, crew, and passengers of Extortion 17 . #neverforgotten #screwedbygovt #demmandanswers. [34] Kevin Sieff and Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post reported that U.S. officials confirmed the deaths, including 22 SEALs. The shooters origin remains a mystery. Critics blame Biden for Extortion 17 attack. Their deaths are the greatest single loss of life ever suffered by the U.S. Special Operations community in the 24-year history of the U.S. Special Operations Command. The events that unfolded that night are commonly referred to as Extortion 17, the call sign for the helicopter transporting the special operations personnel. The workhorse in Army aviation, the tandem rotor, heavy-lift Chinook helicopter is used for carrying troops, equipment, supplies and even the mail. They reached the site at 04:12 and found no survivors. Or when something went terribly wrong. The first round sailed past the helicopter. Thirty members of the American special forces have been killed in Afghanistan in the deadliest day of the 10-year war for US military personnel when the Taliban shot down . So where did it go?? But over time, they became more disturbing, including one that suggested the Taliban had been tipped off by someone inside the Afghan government as revenge for bin Ladens killing. The circumstances surrounding the events of Extortion 17 are tragic. Lee had just flown the night before on a similar mission with one of the pilots, David Carter. Sat 6 Aug 2011 19.08 EDT. At 10:58 p.m., they were inserted by the same CH-47D helicopters that would later conduct the mission to insert the SEAL team. He would eventually do two tours and become commander of a Chinook unit during his second deployment in 2011. Just as ridiculous as saying [President George W.] Bush was responsible for 9/11, Lee said. The suspicious August 6th, 2011, CH47-D Chinook helicopter crash in Wardak Province, Afghanistan which claimed the lives of 38 American military personnel. AC-130 gunships orbiting overhead directed two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to fire on and kill five enemy fighters. Lees wife, Christy, hoped the news would bring a sudden end to the war. (U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue/Arlington National Cemetery/released). You also want to come in from a different direction for the element of surprise.. Near the site of the Extortion 17 crash stands a memorial to Taliban fighters killed in the August 2011 battle during which Extortion 17 was shot down. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Classified reports, published by Wikileaks, teem with notes from pilots and crew of all types of military helicopters who saw RPG attacks throughout the war. The "had Seal team 6 killed" is a likely reference to what's known as the "Extortion 17" incident, the August 2011 tragedy in which a Chinook military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan,. He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kansas, Tech. Naval Special Warfare support personnel, two EOD technicians, one MWD Handler, one Cryptologic technician, and one Information systems technician. The squadron that this SEAL belonged to was never mentioned. [29], Other reports alleged that the Taliban had laid an elaborate trap for American special-operations forces, luring them in with false information. One of the things I vowed, I will never forget. Extortion 17 is a name etched in our minds as one of the worst losses our military has ever experienced. In order to prevent this, American forces called in for support. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash. The reality is, every time a helicopter lifts off the ground in a war zone, it might get shot down, Darack said. Enterprise. Air & Space/Smithsonian contributing editor Ed Darack is the author of The Warriors of Anbar; War Moments; The Final Mission of Extortion 17; Victory Point; and three other books. Nearby, there were two enemy fighters with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. But the CH-47D has neither a flight nor voice recorder, only an engine performance data recorder for maintenance. The worst of the wounded was one of Lees crew members, who suffered what was later diagnosed as a severe traumatic brain injury. You never want to use the same landing zone twice, Darack said. 29 Photos Documentary On a moonless night, an Army helicopter carrying 17 members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, is shot down in Afghanistan. [40], In October 2011, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an investigation following the shootdown concluded "that all operational decisions, linked to the incident, were deemed tactically sound." The conspiracy theories didnt bother Lee at first. Connor Mendez, courtesy of U.S. Army. At 01:00, they decided to engage the group with the SEAL reserves. All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina. I thought I hit a tree,he said. The following passage, published in The Navy Times, seems to support that assertion. The group fired 2-3 RPG rounds from a two-story building from a location some 220 meters south of the helicopter. Lee earned his wings at Fort Rucker, Ala., then deployed to Pakistan, where he did humanitarian missions, learning to fly into and out of mountainous terrain. As Extortion 17 moved into final approach of the target area at 0238 local time, the Rangers on the ground watched in horror as it took a direct hit from an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). The two military investigations, one conducted by United States Central Command and one by the multi-service Joint Combat Assessment Team, pored over the details of the crash with excruciating focus and concluded that no planners or participants bore any fault regarding the circumstances leading to the shootdown of Extortion 17. Seven Afghan National Army commandos and one Afghan civilian interpreter were also killed in the crash. Regarding the downing of Extortion 17, all of the DEVGRU Operators aboard were members of the Gold Squadron. Thirty-eight boarded Extortion 17 Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilots from the 159th General Support Aviation Battalion. The mission was flown by conventional pilots flying unmodified CH-47Ds. A source from the Navys special operations community described the reaction as Shock and disbelief. At 2:36 a.m., Extortion 17 requested an infrared spotlight, visible only through night vision goggles, to illuminate the landing zone. For the last two years, hes been an attorney with the law firm Jackson Walker. In July 2010, an RPG-wielding fighter put a round into the tail boom of a Marine AH-1W Super Cobra, downing it and killing both pilots. August 6, 2017 marks the 6 year anniversary of the downing of Extortion 17, a bigger scandal than Benghazi in large part due to the fact that America lost 30 of its military personnel, including 17 Navy SEALs, the largest loss of life in the Afghan war. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine To lose even one precious life is too many, and the United States lost 38 soldiers that day. Nothing tests the capabilities of a young helicopter pilot like flying in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan. At any moment, they could come under rocket attack. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos It was the deadliest helicopter crash in the history of U.S. special operations. Extortion 17 August 6, 2022 marks 11 years since Extortion 17. "[5], Subsequent reports stated that on the night during which the helicopter had been delivering reinforcements to personnel of the 75th Ranger Regiment, another special operations unit engaged in a night raid on a compound to kill or capture a senior Taliban leader. The call sign for the Chinook was Extortion 17. On 6 August 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 (pronounced "one-seven") was shot down while transporting a Quick Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Then they have to stick the landing. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Baseless Claim That Biden Ordered 'Extortion 17' Three months after the raid that killed bin Laden, Taliban fighters shot down a Chinook helicopter carrying 30 U.S. service members, including.