AP IMPACT: Fatal MRAP accidents prompt warnings
The towering trucks that give U.S. troops the best protection against roadside bombs and enemy bullets also make them vulnerable to routine hazards like sharp turns, rutted roads and rickety bridges.
Five deaths caused by rollovers and dozens of other accidents in Iraq and Afghanistan have led U.S. military leaders to warn troops to be smart behind the wheel, according to military documents obtained by The Associated Press and accident reports released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The message is especially relevant in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban has boosted demand for these steel cocoons, known as MRAPs. Due
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to the country's mountainous terrain and unpaved roads, officials will send nearly 800 more RG-31s, the smallest of several different MRAPs the military now uses.
Yet even at a comparatively nimble nine tons, the RG-31 is not immune from tipping. On June 29, three Green Berets drowned when theirs rolled into a canal in southern Afghanistan. The accident is under investigation.
The MRAPs -- the military's acronym for "mine-resistant, ambush-protected" -- get high marks from commanders for protecting U.S. personnel from enemy attack. Close to 7,000 of the vehicles are already in use in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Pentagon will buy at least that many more.
And despite their bulk, the MRAPs have power steering, air brakes and quick acceleration. These features can lull drivers into thinking they're just handling a bigger version of the smaller and more agile Humvee.
Don't be fooled.
"This ain't your father's Oldsmobile," says the June edition of "Safety Corner," an internal newsletter published by the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned in Quantico, Va.
There have been at least 66 MRAP-related accidents between November and June, according to Defense Department statistics. Nearly 40 of those involved a rollover caused by bad roads, weak bridges or driver error.
"Road shoulders in the Middle East do not meet U.S. standards and may collapse under the weight of the MRAP, especially when the road is above grade and can fall to lower ground," the Marine Corps newsletter cautions.
"We're certainly concerned," said Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, the Marine Corps officer who manages the MRAP program.
The trucks are tall, heavy, have a raised chassis and V-shaped hulls. The high-rise design shoves the impact of an underbelly blast out and away from the crew inside. The weight keeps the vehicle from being tossed into the air ut the lifesaving geometry has a cost.
"What you're giving up when you do that is the low center of gravity that provides you the sure-footedness," Brogan said in an AP interview. "So what we have to do is enhance our training for troops in this kind of vehicle. The more stick time they have, the more comfortable they'll be operating it."
Troops also have been shocked or injured when low-hanging power lines strung by Iraqi residents catch on the top of the tall vehicles. Rebar, the steel reinforcing rod used in construction, is another hazard. Blown-up buildings are common, especially in Iraq, and rebars can be sticking out from
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the concrete ready to cause problems, according to the Marine Corps publication.
The first fatal accident occurred on the night of April 23 near a town north of Baghdad.
A crew of six soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division was traveling over an irrigation canal in a Caiman, a 9-foot tall, 19 ton MRAP made by BAE Systems in Sealy, Texas. BAE is one of several defense contractors building the vehicles, which come in varied sizes. One model, when fully loaded, can weigh as much as 40 tons.
The Caiman was moving at only 5 mph as the driver started to make a 90-degree turn, according to the Army's account. But he swung the wheel too quickly and the truck's huge rear tires caught the road's soft dirt shoulder, which began to collapse.
Trying to avoid trouble, the driver hit the gas, but the Caiman flipped on its right side. It slid down a slope back end first and into 10 feet of foul water that began to fill the vehicle.
The power shut down, plunging the crew into darkness.
Three of the four soldiers in the rear found an air pocket and stayed in it until they were pulled through the gun turret on the roof. The driver, who received a head injury, also survived.
Pfc. John T. Bishop and 1st Lt. Timothy W. Cunningham weren't so lucky.
Bishop, who was riding in the rear, was trapped after the gear he was wearing became snagged. He drowned. Cunningham was in the right front seat. He wasn't wearing his seat belt and was thrown to the back. He drowned too.
Bishop's father, John W. Bishop, said Army officials told him troops who rushed to scene desperately tried to pry off the inch-thick windshield and pull open the unpinned armor door. They couldn't break inside.
"The manufacturers should put more thought into means of escape in case of an accident," said Bishop, who lives in northern Michigan.
Five deaths caused by rollovers and dozens of other accidents in Iraq and Afghanistan have led U.S. military leaders to warn troops to be smart behind the wheel, according to military documents obtained by The Associated Press and accident reports released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The message is especially relevant in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban has boosted demand for these steel cocoons, known as MRAPs. Due
Other Top Headlines Photos
Ford posts $8.7 billion loss on asset write-downs
100
to the country's mountainous terrain and unpaved roads, officials will send nearly 800 more RG-31s, the smallest of several different MRAPs the military now uses.
Yet even at a comparatively nimble nine tons, the RG-31 is not immune from tipping. On June 29, three Green Berets drowned when theirs rolled into a canal in southern Afghanistan. The accident is under investigation.
The MRAPs -- the military's acronym for "mine-resistant, ambush-protected" -- get high marks from commanders for protecting U.S. personnel from enemy attack. Close to 7,000 of the vehicles are already in use in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Pentagon will buy at least that many more.
And despite their bulk, the MRAPs have power steering, air brakes and quick acceleration. These features can lull drivers into thinking they're just handling a bigger version of the smaller and more agile Humvee.
Don't be fooled.
"This ain't your father's Oldsmobile," says the June edition of "Safety Corner," an internal newsletter published by the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned in Quantico, Va.
There have been at least 66 MRAP-related accidents between November and June, according to Defense Department statistics. Nearly 40 of those involved a rollover caused by bad roads, weak bridges or driver error.
"Road shoulders in the Middle East do not meet U.S. standards and may collapse under the weight of the MRAP, especially when the road is above grade and can fall to lower ground," the Marine Corps newsletter cautions.
"We're certainly concerned," said Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, the Marine Corps officer who manages the MRAP program.
The trucks are tall, heavy, have a raised chassis and V-shaped hulls. The high-rise design shoves the impact of an underbelly blast out and away from the crew inside. The weight keeps the vehicle from being tossed into the air ut the lifesaving geometry has a cost.
"What you're giving up when you do that is the low center of gravity that provides you the sure-footedness," Brogan said in an AP interview. "So what we have to do is enhance our training for troops in this kind of vehicle. The more stick time they have, the more comfortable they'll be operating it."
Troops also have been shocked or injured when low-hanging power lines strung by Iraqi residents catch on the top of the tall vehicles. Rebar, the steel reinforcing rod used in construction, is another hazard. Blown-up buildings are common, especially in Iraq, and rebars can be sticking out from
Other Top Headlines Photos
Ford posts $8.7 billion loss on asset write-downs
100
the concrete ready to cause problems, according to the Marine Corps publication.
The first fatal accident occurred on the night of April 23 near a town north of Baghdad.
A crew of six soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division was traveling over an irrigation canal in a Caiman, a 9-foot tall, 19 ton MRAP made by BAE Systems in Sealy, Texas. BAE is one of several defense contractors building the vehicles, which come in varied sizes. One model, when fully loaded, can weigh as much as 40 tons.
The Caiman was moving at only 5 mph as the driver started to make a 90-degree turn, according to the Army's account. But he swung the wheel too quickly and the truck's huge rear tires caught the road's soft dirt shoulder, which began to collapse.
Trying to avoid trouble, the driver hit the gas, but the Caiman flipped on its right side. It slid down a slope back end first and into 10 feet of foul water that began to fill the vehicle.
The power shut down, plunging the crew into darkness.
Three of the four soldiers in the rear found an air pocket and stayed in it until they were pulled through the gun turret on the roof. The driver, who received a head injury, also survived.
Pfc. John T. Bishop and 1st Lt. Timothy W. Cunningham weren't so lucky.
Bishop, who was riding in the rear, was trapped after the gear he was wearing became snagged. He drowned. Cunningham was in the right front seat. He wasn't wearing his seat belt and was thrown to the back. He drowned too.
Bishop's father, John W. Bishop, said Army officials told him troops who rushed to scene desperately tried to pry off the inch-thick windshield and pull open the unpinned armor door. They couldn't break inside.
"The manufacturers should put more thought into means of escape in case of an accident," said Bishop, who lives in northern Michigan.
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