A YouTube video of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashing in Afghanistan has gone viral, with commentators expert and otherwise chiming in on the pilot’s mistakes and appropriate punishments. The International Security Assistance Force told the Pentagon-supported newspaper Stars and Stripes that they “believe the video shows a crash which occurred in Paktika province on Feb. 6” and which is now under investigation, but ISAF has been otherwise unforthcoming. The video shows the gunship swooping low over a U.S. outpost, then coming round for another pass that takes it too low, bouncing over the snowy ground and ultimately flipping over. Online speculation is rife that the pilot was showing off rather than conducting legitimate training maneuvers, and it seems unlikely any commander would authorize such dangerously low passes over friendly troops outside of a life-or-death combat situation, but hard facts are hard to find. Keep reading →