Today in History: Black Hawk Down Over Iraq, August 22, 2007

On August 22, 2007, a Black Hawk crash near Kirkuk killed 14 US soldiers, marking one of the Iraq War’s deadliest air losses.

On August 22, 2007, a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter lifted off into the darkness of northern Iraq. Its mission was routine by the standards of the war, ferrying reconnaissance scouts back from a completed operation near Kirkuk. Within minutes, the routine turned tragic.

The helicopter, call sign “Jenna,” suffered a mechanical failure and crashed, killing all 14 soldiers aboard. It was one of the deadliest single aviation losses for US forces in Iraq.

The Iraq War and the Black Hawk’s Burden

By 2007, the Iraq War had dragged into its fifth year. Insurgency attacks were frequent, coalition casualties mounted, and American forces leaned heavily on aviation. Helicopters became the lifeline of the battlefield—moving troops, conducting reconnaissance, evacuating the wounded. Yet they also carried a unique risk.

Enemy fire, desert conditions, and relentless operational tempo made helicopter flights some of the most perilous undertakings of the war.

The UH-60 Black Hawk, a symbol of American air mobility since the 1980s, was both indispensable and infamous.

Revered for its versatility, it also gained notoriety for its losses. From Mogadishu in 1993 to Baghdad and Kirkuk in the 2000s, “Black Hawk Down” became more than a phrase as it also became a recurring headline.

The Crash near Kirkuk

On that August night, the Black Hawk carried a ten-man scout platoon from the 25th Infantry Division and its four crew members from the 4th Squadron, 6th US Air Cavalry Regiment. Their reconnaissance mission had gone as planned. The return flight did not.

Investigators later confirmed that the crash was not caused by insurgent fire but by tail rotor failure. In war zones, such mechanical malfunctions were just as lethal as enemy bullets.

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The helicopter slammed into the ground near Kirkuk, leaving no survivors. Remembering the Fallen The crash claimed the life of Capt. Derek A. Dobogai, a decorated intelligence officer from Wisconsin, whose leadership and character had already earned him the title of “Lieutenant of the Year” in the 25th Infantry Division. Capt. Derek A. Dobogai (DVIDS) At just 26, he had already served in Afghanistan, earned his Ranger tab, and commanded with distinction. His family would later describe him as humble to the core, never one to boast, though his accomplishments spoke volumes. Alongside him were his fellow scouts—S. Sgt. Jason L. Paton, Sgt. Garrett I. McLead, Cpl. Jeremy P. Bouffard, Cpl. Phillip J. Brodnick, Cpl. Joshua S. Harmon, Cpl. Nathan C. Hubbard, Spc. Michael A. Hook, Cpl. Jessy G. Pollard, and Spc. Tyler R. Seideman—and the crew: Capt. Corry P. Tyler, CWO2 Paul J. Flynn, Sgt. Matthew L. Tallman, and Spc. Rickey L. Bell. Together, they represented the grit and sacrifice of Task Force Lightning. In Wisconsin, Dobogai’s community created a memorial run in his honor, while the Army enshrined his name on the Military Intelligence Corps Memorial Wall at Fort Huachuca. Across the nation, families mourned sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers lost in the crash. The Black Hawk’s Legacy The Black Hawk remains the backbone of US Army aviation, but the helicopter’s history is written in both triumph and tragedy. In Iraq alone, several catastrophic crashes—including the January 2007 shootdown that killed 12 Soldiers northeast of Baghdad—underscored its vulnerability in war. For every mission completed safely, another reminded Americans that even the best aircraft cannot erase the dangers of combat. Eighteen years later, the crash near Kirkuk is remembered not just for the machine that fell from the sky but for the people who filled its seats. Each name carries a story of service, commitment, and sacrifice. Today in history, we remember them—and we remember that the cost of war is not measured in battles won, but in lives given.