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Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed in a Kentucky field while conducting a nighttime training mission. The exercise consisted of the flight of the two aircraft, flown by members of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, when at one point they collided with each other, causing the death of the entire crew of both helicopters.
US Army Brigadier General John Lubas stated that the reasons for the accident are still unclear and that investigations will reach concise results later in the week.
“At this point, we don’t know. We’re hopeful that when the Fort Rucker team arrives and they’re able to extract some of the data from the onboard computers we’ll have a better understanding of exactly what happened,” Lubas told a conference. press to local media.
According to statements by the general, one helicopter carried four soldiers and the other had five crew members. In addition, they were all using night vision goggles to carry out the exercises, which were routine flights and not “a medical evacuation drill.”
reactions to tragedy
“Today is a difficult and tragic day for Kentucky, for Fort Campbell and for the 101st Airborne Division,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, extending his condolences to the affected families at a press conference.
In addition, the governor commented that he would do everything possible to care for the families of the victims and ensure their well-being.
The United States Secretary of Defense, Austin Lloyd, also reacted to the incident and joined Governor Beshear’s proposal, assuring that the Army will support the loved ones of the soldiers who died in multiple ways.
“My heart goes out to the families of these servicemen and to the members of the 101st Airborne Division who bravely and proudly serve our country every day,” Lloyd said in a statement.
Nick Tomaszewski, a resident who lives a few kilometers from the place where the incident occurred, related that he was able to see the accident from his home.
“We saw what looked like fireworks in the sky,” Tomaszewski said. He added: “All the lights on his helicopter went out. It was like they just disappeared… And then we saw a huge glow like a ball of fire.”
An unprecedented accident with the iconic Black Hawk involved
The helicopter crash in Kentucky is one of the deadliest accidents in recent years, which occurred during US Army training exercises.
The Black Hawk HH-60 are support helicopters, designed to carry out rescue work and aerial assaults. In the same way, the original model of the aircraft became popular in the American imagination due to its constant use in the War in Iraq.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
