A coaching accident that killed 9 troopers late final month concerned two Black Hawk helicopters colliding in midair, a preliminary report confirmed.
“Whereas conducting night time coaching in a army operations space/particular use airspace, two HH-60 plane collided midair,” the Army Fight Readiness Middle stated in a Preliminary Loss Report.
Officers had beforehand not specified the character of the incident, one of many deadliest coaching accidents in Army historical past, past saying the 2 Black Hawks had been concerned throughout coaching out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
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A crew from the Alabama-based heart, which probes all deadly Army accidents, is constant to analyze, in keeping with the preliminary report. Questions similar to whether or not the crash was brought on by pilot error, mechanical failure or different points weren’t addressed within the preliminary two-paragraph report.
Investigators have recovered the flight recorders, often known as black packing containers, from the helicopters and are analyzing them, officers beforehand stated.
“We can not present a timeline as to when the investigation can be accomplished,” Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, spokesman for the a hundred and first Airborne Division (Air Assault), stated in a information launch final week saying the restoration of the black packing containers. “The length of the investigation is decided by the thorough evaluation of all elements.”
On the night time of March 29, a pair of medical evacuation Black Hawks from the a hundred and first Airborne Division had been conducting routine coaching, with the pilots carrying night time imaginative and prescient units, when the accident occurred. Not one of the troopers aboard the helicopters survived.
The Army has recognized the troopers as Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33; Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36; Sgt. Isaacjohn Gayo, 27; Employees Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25; Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32; Employees Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32; and Sgt. David Solinas Jr., 23.
The accident is the a hundred and first Airborne’s deadliest incident since a 1988 crash that additionally concerned a pair of Black Hawks and killed 17 troopers. Within the 1988 incident, investigators concluded that one Black Hawk slammed into one other mid-air whereas conducting a routine maneuver.
A median of 5 troopers per yr have died in on-duty aviation accidents since 2018, in keeping with the Army Fight Readiness Middle. The Fort Campbell incident is the Army’s fourth “Class A mishap” — outlined as an accident wherein there’s greater than $2.5 million price of property injury, the plane is completely destroyed, or somebody dies or is completely disabled — this yr, bringing the quantity to at least one greater than the identical time final yr.
— Rebecca Kheel will be reached at rebecca.kheel@army.com. Comply with her on Twitter @reporterkheel.
Associated: Army IDs 9 Troopers from a hundred and first Airborne Killed in Black Hawk Crashes in Kentucky
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