What caused the helicopter crash in bin Laden raid?

The crash of a helicopter during the May 2 raid on the compound in which Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan might have been caused by a vertical flight phenomenon known as “settling with power,” reports Defense News.

Settling with power occurs when a helicopter descends too quickly because its rotors cannot get the lift required from turbulent air of its own downwash to settle to the ground properly.

The radar-evading variant of the MH-60 Black Hawk that is believed to have been used in the raid was probably flying at maximum gross weight as a result of modifications made to the aircraft to increase its stealth characteristics, a retired special operations aviator told the news outlet.