Multiple people feared dead after two U.S Army helicopters collide in Kentucky
At least nine people are feared dead after two US Army Black Hawk helicopters collided during a training exercise in Kentucky: witness describes hearing ‘pop’ and ‘two booms’
- Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, tweeted early Thursday that there was “hard news from Fort Campbell,” with reports of a helicopter crash.
- Trigg County emergency personnel say two helicopters crashed and a US Army soldier at the scene confirmed “multiple fatalities” to local media.
- The 101st Airborne Regiment and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment are based at Fort Campbell, which opened a $5 million helicopter training center in July.
At least nine people are feared dead in a collision between two US Army Black Hawk helicopters during a routine training exercise in Kentucky.
Andy Beshear, the governor, said there was “tough news from Fort Campbell.”
Located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border 60 miles northwest of Nashville, the base is home to the 101st Airborne Regiment and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
“Two helicopters went by pretty low, and all of a sudden, as soon as they passed over the house, something went off, a loud bang. And everything suddenly went dark’, said a local man WKDZ Radio.
“So we jumped in the truck and we got here, and that’s what we found: two helicopters.”
The two helicopters are believed to have crashed shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Local media said nine are feared dead.
James Hughes, the Trigg County jailer, told the radio station that he lives half a mile away and heard what he believed to be a collision.
Nondice Thurman, a Fort Campbell spokeswoman, confirmed the crashes happened around 10 p.m. Wednesday in Trigg County near Highway 68.
The planes were two Blackhawk helicopters operated by the 101st Airborne Division.
The crew members were flying the aircraft during a routine training mission when an “incident” occurred.
Local media reported that nine people are feared dead.
A US Army soldier on the scene confirmed that WKDZ Radio there were ‘multiple deaths’.
The station reported that Trigg County Coroner John Mark Vinson had been called to the scene.
Local news station WKDZ said the image shows the wreckage of one of the helicopters.
A Black Hawk helicopter is seen in action
Weather conditions at the time were reported to be clear with light wind or no wind.
“Currently, the command is focused on caring for service members and their families,” the base said in a statement.
In July, a $5 million helicopter training facility, the only one in the country, opened at the site, featuring a marine vessel flight deck that is used “to facilitate safe and realistic training for aircrews and shore operators before operating in a hostile environment over water. ‘ the Army said.
In February of this year, a UH-60 Alpha Black Hawk helicopter flew completely unmanned for the first time, controlled from Fort Campbell.
It’s unclear if that program had anything to do with the splashdown on Thursday morning.
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