A Turkish military CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter crash-landed during a training flight near Ankara’s Sincan district on Tuesday, with no serious injuries reported.
The helicopter, operated by the Turkish Land Forces, was conducting a night training exercise when it made a hard landing and was damaged, the Defense Ministry said.
Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk, the ministry’s press and public relations adviser, said on Wednesday that all five personnel on board were in good condition. Four crew members were unharmed, while one was taken to a hospital with mild chest pain.
Emergency and search teams were dispatched to the scene shortly after the incident, and authorities launched a technical inspection to determine the cause of the crash.
The CH-47 Chinook is a heavy-lift transport helicopter used by the US Army and about 20 interntional operators for cargo and troop transport, search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster response. Its tandem rotor design allows it to operate in difficult terrain and at high altitudes of up to 20,000 feet.
The Chinook has been in service since the 1960s, like other military aircraft, and has been involved in a number of accidents and incidents, some of them fatal.