Deadliest aviation incidents of Afghan war. The most fatal air accidents involving planes and helicopters since 2001 in US-led NATO campaign against the Taliban

2011 August 6: A US Chinook helicopter crashes in an anti-Taliban operation, killing at least 31 members of the US special forces and seven Afghan troops. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the crash. 2010 June 9: A Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk CSAR helicopter is shot down in Helmand province, killing five US airmen. September 21: A US Army UH-60 Blackhawk crashes in Zabul province, killing nine soldiers on board. 2009 January 15: An Afghan army Mi-17 crashes in the Adraskan District of Herat province, killing all 13 on board, including General Fazaludin Sayar, the regional commander in charge of the western part of Afghanistan. The government declares the crash is due to inclement weather, but the Taliban claim to have shot the helicopter down. October 26: US MH-47G Chinook crashes in Badghis province, reportedly due to low visibility caused by "thick dust stirred up" during takeoff at night, killing seven US servicemen and three US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents. Fourteen Afghan, 11 US servicemen and one US DEA agent are injured in the crash. 2007 February 18: US MH-47 Chinook from 2-160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carrying 22 US servicemen crashes in Zabul province, killing eight and injuring 14. May 30: US CH-47 Chinook is shot down in the upper Sangin valley, killing five US soldiers, one British and one Canadian. Until July 25, 2010, officially the incident is attributed to small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. 2006 May 5: US CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashes in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, killing all 10 US soldiers on board. September 2: A British Nimrod MR2 aircraft crashes near Kandahar, killing 14 crew members. 2005 April 6: US CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashes in a sandstorm near Ghazni, killing all 15 US soldiers and three civilian contractors. June 28: US CH-47 Chinook helicopter is shot down in Kunar province by Taliban commander Qari Ismail, killing all 16 US special forces servicemen on board. The US military says it was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade while on a mission to rescue four SEAL members pinned down by Taliban gunmen. August 16: Seventeen Spanish soldiers are killed when a Cougar AS532 helicopter crashes near Herat. A second Spanish helicopter makes an emergency landing, injuring five soldiers. The crash is reported as an accident, although witnesses say the aircraft took fire from a nearby village. September 25: Five US soldiers are killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashes in Zabul province while returning from an operation. Though initially reported as an accident, the crash is later confirmed to have been caused by hostile fire. 2003 January 8: US helicopter crashes in Kunar province, killing five Americans and two Afghans. March 23: HH-60 Pave Hawk crashes in Afghanistan, killing six on board. November 23: MH-53 Pave Low helicopter crashes shortly after leaving Bagram Air Base, killing four US airmen and one soldier. 2002 January 9: KC-130 Hercules tanker crashes into a Pakistani mountain, killing seven Americans on board. March 4: During Operation Anaconda, two CH-47 Chinook helicopters are hit by rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire. Two are killed in the first helicopter while dropping off a SEAL team. The second Chinook arrives later to rescue the crew and is subsequently shot down, killing four more. December 21: CH-53G crashes in Kabul, killing seven German soldiers.