Fox News is reporting that Iraqi television is showing a downed Apache helicopter. Their Pentagon correspondent just explained why it is unlikely that farmers in a field shot it down—as Iraq claims—and that the pilots are probably not captured.
Apaches fly in formation with supporting aircraft. If one goes down intact as the one on TV did, other choppers will swoop in, suppress attacking enemy, and pick up the crew. My guess is that the Apache had mechanical problems, the crew was extracted, and the Iraqis stumbled on the aircraft.
