One injured in emergency landing of Army helicopter

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- An army transport helicopter made an emergency
landing Tuesday evening in South Korea's rocky northeast after developing an
apparent malfunction, injuring one pilot, an official said.

The UH-1H was carrying four people when it landed at 8:15 p.m. on a mountain in
Hongcheon, about 100 kilometers east of Seoul, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
official said in Seoul.
The helicopter's engine apparently malfunctioned before the chopper, which has
been in operation for over 30 years, was forced to land about 100 meters outside
a nearby village, the official said.
"The pilot suffered minor injuries in his shoulders and ribs, but the others are
in good shape" the official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
Ten UH-1H helicopters have crashed in South Korea since 1990, killing over 30
passengers and pilots.
South Korea has been pushing to develop replacements for UH-1H helicopters that
had been imported from the United States, hoping to complete the 1.3-trillion-won
(US$957 million) project by 2012.
The country currently operates 120 UH-1Hs.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)