Apache Down

A Royal Netherlands Air Force Apache crashed during a firing exercise in Mali March 17, killing both crew members.

Dutch Ministry of Defense photo

A second Apache participating in the exercise landed so its crew could provide first aid, but one crew member was already dead and the other died of his severe wounds in a French military hospital in Gao.

A French combat helicopter secured the crash site right after the Apache went down, followed by Dutch special forces who are guarding the site.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

The two victims were members of the Dutch Defense Helicopter Command's 301 Squadron. The Apache was one of three making up the Dutch helicopter detachment in Mali, along with three Chinooks, which along with Dutch special forces and other personnel collect intelligence for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).