The CH-47 crash in Bosnia: a loss that raises questions about the Eufor Althea mission

On Thursday 29 October, a CH-47 helicopter of the Italian Army engaged in the European mission Eufor Althea crashed in the area of Brčko, in northern Bosnia-Herzegovina. Fifteen people were on board. Four died: two Italian Army soldiers and two members of the Voluntary Military Corps of the Italian Red Cross. The other eleven occupants were injured, but according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, none of them is in a life-threatening condition (Il Piccolo).

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed that the injuries sustained by the survivors were not severe: “None of the injured is in danger of dying.” President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella expressed condolences for the victims, stating: “I learned with profound sorrow the news of the soldiers’ deaths” (Libero Quotidiano).

An initial reconstruction of the incident, released by ministerial sources, describes a dynamic that is disturbing in its apparent simplicity: the aircraft reportedly rose about ten metres off the ground before beginning to spin on itself and then crashing to the ground. The episode occurred during what is described as a routine exercise, immediately after take-off. The causes remain under investigation, and caution is required on this point: there are, at present, no definitive indications of a mechanical failure, human error or other contributing factors.

The incident affects a mission that has operated in Bosnia-Herzegovina since the aftermath of the Yugoslav war, with the task of ensuring stability in an area still marked by institutional fragility and latent interethnic tensions. Eufor Althea is one of the longest-running and least observed European military missions in the public eye, precisely because its success is measured by the absence of acute crises rather than by dramatic events. An episode such as this suddenly brings attention back to a contingent that has worked for years away from the spotlight.

The presence on board of Italian Red Cross personnel, alongside Army soldiers, signals the composite nature of contemporary stabilisation missions, where medical and logistical components work alongside strictly operational ones. This aspect makes the loss even more far-reaching, affecting different bodies of the Italian State engaged in the same theatre.

It remains to be seen whether the incident will prompt a review of flight procedures for Italian equipment deployed in the mission, or whether it will prove to be an isolated episode linked to a technical fault not yet identified. Until technical investigations provide more solid evidence, any hypothesis about the dynamics remains provisional. The Ministry of Defence has not yet provided a timeline for the publication of the technical inquiry’s findings, nor has it indicated which body — Italian, Bosnian, or within the Eufor chain of command — will bear primary responsibility for it.