List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iraq War

This list of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iraq War includes incidents with Coalition and civilian aircraft during the Iraq War.

According to media reports, 129 helicopters and 24 fixed-wing aircraft were lost in Iraq between the 2003 invasion and February 2009. Of these incidents, 46 have been attributed to hostile fire, such as anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles. In March 2007, Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt said that 130 helicopters had been lost in both Iraq and Afghanistan, about a third to hostile fire, and he was concerned that they were not being replaced fast enough. A report published in Aircraft Survivability in Summer 2010 gave a total of 375 U.S. helicopters lost in Iraq and Afghanistan up to 2009. Of these, 70 were downed by hostile fire, while the other 305 losses have been classified as non-hostile or non-combat events.

No unmanned aircraft of any type are included in the list below.

At least 283 people have died in helicopter crashes since the invasion, and 19 in fixed-wing crashes.

Since the beginning of the invasion helicopters were the target of attacks with "aerial improvised explosive devices" or home-made bombs. In early 2007, the U.S. Army announced that the Iraqi insurgent groups had developed a strategy for attacking American helicopters. This was confirmed by documents captured from Iraqi insurgents. U.S. deputy commanding general Jim Simmons said that the average month in 2006 and 2007 saw about 17 attacks against helicopters. Efforts to reduce losses included more training for helicopter pilots and improvements in tactics and aircraft defenses. In the fall of 2007, the U.S. military deployed the more advanced V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. According to the U.S. military, this aircraft flies much higher and faster than helicopters and has six to seven times more survivability than the widely used CH-46.

Rotary-wing aircraft 2010 28 July – An Iraqi military Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashes in a sandstorm. All five crew-members are killed. 17 April – A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, 95–26648, belonging to the 3-158th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade crashes on infill about north of Tikrit while executing an 8 ship air assault at night. 1 U.S. service member killed and 3 crew members injured. 21 February – An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter crashes in northern Iraq killing the two pilots on board.

2009 9 November – An OH-58 Kiowa experiences a hard landing north of Baghdad in Saladin Governorate. Two U.S. Army pilots are killed. They were assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks. 19 September – One U.S. service member is killed and 12 others injured when a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter goes down inside of Joint Base Balad. (2) 26 January – Two OH-58 Kiowas collide near Kirkuk while evading enemy fire, killing four soldiers.

2008 15 November – An OH-58 Kiowa Warrior strikes a tower near Mosul killing the 2 pilots. (2) 4 October – Two American UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collide while trying to land in Baghdad. An Iraqi soldier is killed, and two Iraqis and three Americans injured. The incident is ascribed to mechanical failure. 18 September – A Polish Air Force Mi-24 crashes and is damaged beyond repair in Iraq, the rotary wing airframe was destroyed by explosives. 18 September – A CH-47 Chinook en route to Balad from Kuwait crashes west of Basrah International Airport, killing seven U.S. soldiers. 1 June – A U.S. helicopter crashes south of Baghdad, injuring two soldiers. The type of helicopter is not revealed. 27 March – An Iraqi military Mil Mi-17 helicopter is shot down during heavy fighting in northern Basra. 4 March – An Iraqi military Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashes in a sandstorm south of Baiji (about south of Mosul in northern Iraq), killing an American airman and seven other people.

2007 (4) 2007 – Four AH-64 Apache helicopters are destroyed on the ground by Iraqi insurgent mortar fire; the insurgents had made use of embedded coordinates in web-published photographs (geotagging) taken by soldiers to track the exact location of the helicopters. 20 November – A Royal Air Force HC.1 Puma ZA938 crashes. Two SAS troopers die after the troop transporter goes down in an urban area during a covert mission over Baghdad. Two other men from 22 Special Air Service Regiment are seriously injured in the crash although their condition is not thought to be life-threatening. A further seven SAS and three RAF personnel survive the impact and are rescued by Coalition forces. 22 August – An UH-60L Black Hawk 06-27077 crashes in northern Iraq, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers on board. The military says initial findings indicate that the aircraft had experienced a mechanical problem. 14 August – A CH-47D Chinook 89-00171 from B Company, 1–52 Aviation Regiment crashes near the al-Taqaddum air base west of Baghdad, killing five crew on board. 10 August – An U.S. Navy MH-60 "Rescue Hawk" makes a forced landing in Yusufiyah. Two U.S. Army soldiers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. 31 July – An AH-64 Apache goes down after coming under fire in eastern Baghdad. The two crew members are safely extracted. 4 July – An OH-58 Kiowa 95-0002 crashes into power lines in Mosul, killing the pilot and injuring the copilot. 2 July – OH-58D Kiowa 91-0560 from 3–17 Cavalry Regiment is shot down by small arms fire along a canal south of Baghdad, in Babil Governorate. Both pilots are rescued by strapping themselves onto the stub wings of an AH-64 Apache. The helicopter is later destroyed. 29 May – Kiowa 93-0978 from B Troop, 2–6 Cavalry Regiment is shot down between Baqubah and Muqdadiyah with small arms, killing the chopper's two pilots. (2) 15 April – Two British Aérospatiale Puma helicopters are involved in a mid-air collision near Taji, north of Baghdad. Both aircraft crash, with two personnel killed and one seriously injured. 5 April – An UH-60 Black Hawk carrying nine is shot down in Latifiya using anti-aircraft heavy machine guns, 4 were wounded. 1 March – An OH-58D Kiowa makes a hard landing south of Kirkuk, injuring both crewmembers, and becomes entangled in overhanging wires before hitting the ground. Reports had varied whether the crash was due to a mechanical or electronic failure and whether it is shot down. 22 February – An UH-60 Black Hawk crashes in an area north of Baquba City during a clash between gunmen and U.S. troops. 21 February – An UH-60 Black Hawk is hit by RPG and small arms fire north of Baghdad and makes a hard landing; all nine military personnel on board are rescued. 7 February – A CH-46E Sea Knight from HMM-364 is shot down by a shoulder-fired missile in al-Karma, outside Fallujah, killing all seven on board. 2 February – AH-64D Apache 02-5337 from A Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division shot down by a combination of gunfire and a shoulder-fired missile, near Taji, killing the two pilots. 28 January – An AH-64D Apache from 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, is shot down by hostile fire during the Battle of Najaf, killing the two pilots. 25 January – An UH-60 Black Hawk is shot down by gunfire near Hit. All aboard survive the incident. 20 January – An U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashes near Najaf. One soldier is killed. 20 January – An UH-60 Black Hawk from C Company, 1–131 Aviation Regiment is shot down by a combination of several heavy machine guns and a shoulder-fired missile north-east of Baghdad. All 12 crew and passengers on board are killed in the incident.

2006 11 December – A CH-53E Super Stallion 164785 from HMH-465 carrying 21 personnel crashes in brownout conditions in Al Anbar Province, killing 1 and injuring 17. Helicopter was written off. 3 December – A CH-46E Sea Knight from HMM-165 carrying 16 personnel makes an emergency landing on Lake Qadisiyah in Al Anbar Province. Four of the passengers drown in the incident. 6 November – An AH-64D Apache from A Company, 1–82nd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) attached to 25th Combat Aviation Brigade crashes north of Baghdad, killing the two pilots. 7 September – A CH-53D Sea Stallion (157146) from HMH-463 makes a nighttime hard landing in Al Anbar Province and is later written off. 8 August – A UH-60 Black Hawk 86-24535 from 82nd AAC (MEDEVAC) attached to 3rd MAW crashes in Anbar, killing two crew members and injuring four. 18 July – A Polish Air Force W-3WA Sokół crashes at an air base in Al Diwaniyah, injuring 4 crew and 3 passengers. 13 July – An AH-64D Apache from 4–4th Aviation Regiment is shot down south of Baghdad. The two pilots survive. 27 May – An AH-1W SuperCobra 164591 from HMLA-169 crashes into Lake Habbaniyah, killing the pilot and a maintenance ground crew member on board. 14 May – An AH-6M Little Bird (OH-6 Cayuse) from the 1–160th SOAR is shot down during combat operations in Yusufiyah, southwest of Baghdad, killing the two crewmen. 6 May – A Westland Lynx AH.7 (Royal Navy) from 847 Squadron is shot down with a SA-14 over Basra, killing five crewmen and crashing into a house. 1 April – An AH-64D Apache from 4–4th Aviation Regiment is shot down southwest of Baghdad, killing the two crewmen. 16 January – An AH-64D Apache 03-5385 from C Company, 1–4th Aviation Regiment is shot down north of Baghdad, killing the two pilots. 13 January – An OH-58D Kiowa 95-0021 from 1–10th Aviation Regiment is shot down outside Forward Operating Base Courage, near Mosul, killing the two pilots. 7 January – A UH-60L Black Hawk 91-26346 from B Company, 1–207th Aviation Regiment crashes near Tal Afar in bad weather, killing 12 people on board. Reports suggest it was not shot down.

2005 26 December – An AH-64D Apache 03-5375 from 1–4th Aviation Regiment collides with another Apache near Baghdad, both crewmembers are killed. Second AH-64 was not destroyed. 2 November – An AH-1W SuperCobra 165321 from HMLA-369 shot down near Ramadi, killing the two pilots. 29 August – An OH-58D #90-00377 from 4th SQDN 3ACR was engaged by enemy fire. TF Freedom pilot killed by SA fire near Tal Afar. The A/C took rounds and the PI was wounded and able to recover but had to make an emergency landing north of the city, he was unable to fly back. A/C was recovered by SP and MTP. 12 August – An AH-64A Apache 90-0442 from C Company, 8–229th Aviation Regiment crashes near Kirkuk, injuring both crewmembers. Helicopter is written off. 19 July – AH-64D Apache 02-5319 from 1–3rd Aviation Regiment crashes in Iraq, injuring the two pilots. Helicopter is written off. 2 July – A CH-47D Chinook 85-24335 from C Company/159th Aviation Brigade destroyed in a fire on the ground at Ramadi Camp. 27 June – An AH-64D Apache from 3–3rd Aviation Regiment is shot down by a shoulder-fired missile near Mishahda, killing the two pilots. 31 May – An Italian AB-412 helicopter crashes near Nasiriyah, killing the four soldiers on board. 26 May – An Kiowa 93-0989 from 1–17th Cavalry Regiment is shot down with small arms near Baquba, killing the two crewmen. 21 May – A CH-47D Chinook 87-00102 from B Company, 4–123rd Aviation Regiment crashes in Iraq due to failure of both engines. Five crewmen injured. Helicopter was blown in-place. 17 April – AH-64D Apache 03-5370 from 4th Squadron, 3d ACR makes hard landing near Baghdad. 3 March – A Westland Lynx Mk.8 of Royal Navy crashes during Gulf exercise. The three crew members survived. The Lynx was repaired and was later deployed to HMS Nottingham. 28 January – An OH-58 Kiowa 96-0019 from 1–7th Cavalry Regiment crashes in Baghdad after hitting electrical wires, killing the two crewmen. 26 January – A CH-53E Super Stallion 164536 from HMH-361 crashed in Al-Anbar province, killing 30 U.S. Marines and one Navy sailor.

2004