Extortion 17: What Really Happened On America's Deadliest Day In Afghanistan

"The next night, the pair had orders to drop off more troops in the same spot. As they made their approach, there was a line of thunderstorms nearby. Winds whipped through the fir trees. As they started their descent, Lee heard a loud popping noise. The aircraft jerked. “I thought I hit a tree,”he said.

The helicopter plunged tail first. A catastrophic crash seemed unavoidable. “I was terrified. I didn’t want to die.”

He remembered the words of his old flight instructor: “Never stop flying the aircraft.”"