Iraq defense ministry denies army aircraft crash claim after technical fault

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq’s Defense Ministry said an aircraft belonging to army aviation suffered a minor technical fault during a training flight for Army Aviation School students, rejecting claims that the plane had crashed. In a statement issued in Baghdad, the ministry said the incident caused no injuries or serious damage. It said only slight damage occurred to the landing gear and skid section. The ministry also said a photograph circulated with the reports did not show the aircraft involved in the incident. It said the image was of an old aircraft damaged in previous years during the fight against terrorism.