Two US pilots killed in Iraq after helicopter crash

November 9, 2009 The United States military in Iraq has said that two US helicopter pilots were killed in a crash in the Salah ad Din province in north-central Iraq today.

The military described the crash as a "hard landing" in a statement; however, few other details were provided.

According to the statement, the cause of the incident is under investigation, although there was no immediate indication that the crash could have been caused by an enemy attack. The identities of the pilots are being withheld until their families are notified.

With these deaths, as well as that of a US Marine killed today in an accident, the number of US troops killed in Iraq since the invasion in March of 2003 has increased to 4,362.