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Syrian Midair, Continued

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • An alleged midair collision occurred last month near Damascus between a Syrian Airways Airbus A320 and a military helicopter at 12,000 feet, though detailed reports from Western media are scarce.
  • Photos of the A320's tail show damage consistent with a helicopter's spinning main rotor, and the helicopter's unusually high altitude could be a tactic to avoid rebel fire.
  • Despite Syrian state TV reports, the lack of official details two weeks later fuels speculation, including potential cover-ups, with Airbus expected to investigate the damage.
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We thought we’d share with you some more photos of that supposed midair collision between a Syrian Airways Airbus A320 and a Syrian military helicopter, possibly a Russian-built Mi-8, near Damascus last month.

The accident reportedly happened on September 20 near an altitude of 12,000 feet – but that’s about all that’s been reported so far. Why a helicopter would have been flying at such a high altitude is unknown, although one possible explanation exists: Rebel fighters successfully shot down an Mi-8 over Damascus in late August, an episode that may be prompting Syrian military helicopter pilots to climb out of harm’s way when en route.

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