A U.S. helicopter with 10 people on board crashed in a rice paddy as it was trying to land at the Banda Aceh airport Monday while on a tsunami-relief operation, injuring at least two U.S. servicemen, a U.S. military spokesman said.
The injured men, along with eight other Navy personnel, were being flown back to their ship in the Lincoln battle group, said Capt. Joe Plenzler, a U.S. military spokesman in Medan, 250 miles southeast of Banda Aceh.
The U.S. military suspended helicopter flights for about two hours after the crash.
"Typically what happens whenever there is an event with an aircraft, they will suspend flight operations and start an investigation," Plenzler said. "It gives them time to pause and take a look at the safety situation. But they have since resumed flying."
The SH60 helicopter crashed in a rice paddy about 500 yards from the airport in Banda Aceh, the main city on Indonesia's tsunami-battered Sumatra island, as it was trying to land, he said, cited by The AP.
"There was no fire ball but a little smoke. It landed on its side," Plenzler said, adding that the helicopter's propeller was twisted from the impact.
U.S. authorities said there was no indication the helicopter had been shot down.
The airport at Banda Aceh "is still functioning and the crash shouldn't effect relief operations," Plenzler said.
