An advanced Apache attack helicopter belonging to the US Army crashed yesterday (Monday) during an operational mission near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a report published Tuesday morning by The New York Times, citing two officials briefed on the incident, the two crew members aboard the helicopter were safely rescued following a rapid recovery operation.
At this stage, the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities are examining whether the helicopter was brought down by anti-aircraft fire or missiles launched by the Iranian military or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), or whether a sudden mechanical malfunction or severe technical failure led to a loss of control.
US President Donald Trump addressed the incident, stating that "the pilots are fine." He said the administration and the Pentagon would release an official and detailed report later in the day outlining the circumstances of the crash and the preliminary findings of the investigation.
In April, an American aviator whose aircraft was shot down in Iran was rescued in a dramatic operation that lasted two days. US special forces conducted the search and rescue mission under fire, despite rescue aircraft coming under attack in the area.
Just two months after that dramatic incident, it was revealed that the same pilot had survived another similar event when his aircraft was accidentally shot down by friendly fire in Kuwait in early March.