2017 United Arab Emirates Air Force Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk crash

On 11 August 2017, a Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force crashed while on a Saudi-led mission in Shabwa, Yemen, killing four of the soldiers on board. Emirates News Agency reported that the crash was due to a "technical malfunction".[1]

2017 United Arab Emirates Air Force Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk crash
A Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, similar to the helicopter involved in the crash
Accident
Date11 August 2017 (2017-08-11)
SiteShabwa, Yemen
Aircraft
Aircraft typeSikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk
OperatorUnited Arab Emirates Air Force
Fatalities4

One of the soldiers who survived the crash was a member of the royal Al Nahyan family, causing the Emiratis to ask for help rescuing the survivors from the United States, which responded "[i]n a matter of hours". The Wall Street Journal reported that the incident helped instill trust between the UAE and the US, laying groundwork for the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, which happened three years later in 2020.[2]

References

  1. "UAE says 4 soldiers killed in Yemen helicopter crash". Associated Press. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. Nissenbaum, Dion (19 October 2020). "A Secret U.S. Rescue in Yemen Played a Role in Mideast Peace Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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