A US army Apache helicopter gunship was forced to make an emergency landing in Kosovo after hitting power lines, an army statement released Wednesday said.
The crash, which happened at 10:30 am (0930 GMT) Tuesday, came shortly after the AH-64 Apache came back into service after the US army's entire 742-strong fleet was grounded suffering from tail-rotor problems.
US army spokeswoman Lieutenant Annemarie Daneker told AFP that an inquiry was being carried out, but that the accident was not thought to be linked to the rotor problem.
"There were no injuries to the crew, who were on a training and orientation flight. The aircraft sustained minor damage," the statement said.
The Apache was part of a group assigned to the US brigade of Kosovo's NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force.
The AH-64 is regarded as the world's leading attack helicopter and versions of it have been sold on to other armed forces, including the British and Israeli armies, but it has been dogged by technical difficulties.
Six Apaches have crashed in the past two years, including two in Albania which were training ahead of possible missions in the NATO air war against Yugoslavia which preceded the intervention of the KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo.
The chopper was sidelined during the conflict, but has since become a regular sight in the skies above Kosovo. In November 1999 half the US fleet of Apaches was grounded for repairs, and on December 15 the entire fleet was taken temporarily out of service -- PRISTINA (AFP)
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