Nine soldiers died when two US Army helicopters crashed during a night flight exercise in the United States on Wednesday, a military spokesman said Thursday.
“Nine soldiers were killed in the crash” that occurred Wednesday night, 101st Airborne Division spokesman Lt. Col. Anthony Hoefler said.
The two 101st Airborne Division Black Hawk helicopters crashed around 10 p.m. local time while on a routine training mission over the eastern state of Kentucky.
The two devices, Black Hawks HH-60, a model designed for medical evacuations with capacity to carry up to 11 peoplecrashed in Trigg County, northwest of Fort Campbell, the base of the 101st Airborne Division.
The crash occurred while the helicopters were flying at night on a training mission carried out with night vision goggles, Brigadier General John Lubas said at a news conference.
how did the accident go
Five soldiers were in one helicopter and four in another.Lubas said, noting that the army is still informing the families of the deceased about the incident.
The incident occurred in a cleared area near a residential area.
An investigation team has been dispatched to the area but it is currently unknown whether the helicopters collided with each other.
MSNBC cited a resident who witnessed the incident.
“Simply two helicopters disappeared from the sky. There was a big flash,” Nick Tomaszewski said, adding that another helicopter hovered over the area for about 30 minutes before ambulances arrived.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear traveled to Fort Campbell on Thursday to support “the troops and their families after last night’s tragic incident.”
Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division, an air assault division also known as the Screaming Eagles, which made its name during World War II, although it was also involved in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Background
There have been other incidents involving US military aircraft and helicopters in the past.
A Black Hawk helicopter crashed in mid-February in Alabama, in the southern United States, killing the two occupants. He was also conducting a training flight.
And a trainer plane crashed in September 2021 in Texas (south), forcing the two pilots to eject.
Source: AFP
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.