US news anchor Brian Williams has admitted a story he has often repeated on air about coming under fire in a helicopter in Iraq in 2003 is untrue.
Williams, who anchors NBC Nightly News and is one of the biggest US news media stars, said on Wednesday's broadcast he was not in the aircraft attacked but arrived later in a different helicopter.
"I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago," Williams said.
"I want to apologise. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft."
Williams read a 50-second statement apologising for his characterisation of the episode.
"It did not take long to hear from some brave men and women in the air crews who were also in that desert. I want to apologise. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by (rocket-propelled grenade) fire.
"I was instead in a following aircraft ... This was a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and, by extension, our brave military men and women, veterans everywhere, those who have served while I did not."
As recently as Friday, Williams had repeated the story.
But crew members of the Chinook helicopter and Williams' aircraft told publication Stars and Stripes the anchor had been nowhere near the fired upon helicopter.
He instead arrived an hour later in a separate helicopter, which landed due to a sandstorm.
Lance Reynolds, the flight engineer on the helicopter that was hit, told Stars and Stripes "it was something personal for us that was kind of life-changing for me. I know how lucky I was to survive it."
"It felt like a personal experience someone else wanted to participate in and didn't deserve to."
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