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Two US army Black Hawk helicopters crash on training mission in Kentucky Nine dead after two US army Black Hawk helicopters crash in Kentucky
(about 3 hours later)
101st Airborne says crash resulted in ‘several casualties’ but didn’t specify whether those were injuries or deaths No injuries on ground but nine service members killed in collision about 30 miles from Fort Campbell base near Tennessee border
Two US army helicopters crashed in south-western Kentucky during a routine training mission, causing several casualties, military officials said. Nine people were killed in a crash involving two US army Black Hawk helicopters conducting a night-time training exercise in Kentucky, a military spokesperson said.
The two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10pm on Wednesday in Trigg county, Kentucky, according to a statement from Fort Campbell. Nondice Thurman, a spokesperson for Fort Campbell, said on Thursday morning the deaths happened the previous night in south-western Kentucky during a routine training mission.
The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash, saying on Twitter it resulted in “several casualties” but not specifying whether those were injuries or deaths. A statement from Fort Campbell said the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, part of the 101st Airborne Division, crashed around 10pm on Wednesday in Trigg county, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne confirmed the crash about 30 miles north-west of Fort Campbell. The crash was under investigation.
“Right now our focus is on the soldiers and their families who were involved,” it said. The helicopters landed in a field near a residential area with no injuries on the ground, Brig Gen John Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander, said. One helicopter had five people onboard and the other had four, Lubas said.
The Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, said fatalities were expected, adding that police and emergency officials were responding. The crash was under investigation. Speaking to reporters, the Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, said the state would do everything it could to support the families of those killed.
“The crash occurred in a field, some wooded area,” a Kentucky state police trooper, Sarah Burgess, said at a news briefing. “At this time, there are no reports of residence damage.” “We’re going to do what we always do, we’re going to wrap our arms around these families, we’re going to be with them for the weeks and days to come,” Beshear said.
Fort Campbell is about 60 miles north-west of Nashville, Tennessee. The crash occurred in Cadiz, a community in Trigg county, Kentucky. Fort Campbell is near the Tennessee border, about 60 miles north-west of Nashville, Tennessee. The crash occurred in Cadiz, in Trigg county, Kentucky.
Nick Tomaszewski, who lives in Cadiz, told WSMV-TV he sees helicopters from Fort Campbell pass overhead often, but the two that flew by on Wednesday stood out. Nick Tomaszewski, who lives about a mile from where the crash occurred, said he saw two helicopters flying over his house.
“I told my wife, ‘Wow, those look really close tonight’ for whatever reason … about a minute later, they were coming across and there was a large explosion in the sky almost look like a firework went off. And then the entire tree line lit up.” “For whatever reason last night my wife and I were sitting there looking out on the back deck and I said, ‘Wow, those two helicopters look low and they look kind of close to one another tonight,’” he said.
The helicopters flew over, looped back around and moments later the Tomaszewskis “saw what looked like a firework went off in the sky”.
“All of the lights in their helicopter went out. It was like they just poofed … and then we saw a huge glow like a fireball,” Tomaszewski said.
Flyovers happen almost daily and the helicopters typically fly low but not so close, he said.
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Last month, two Tennessee national guard pilots were killed when their Black Hawk crashed on an Alabama highway during training. “There were two, back to back. We typically see one and then see another one a few minutes later, and we just saw two of them flying together last night,” he said.
Members of the Kentucky senate stood for a moment of silence on Thursday morning in honor of the crash victims.
“We do not know the extent of what has gone on, but I understand it is bad and there has been a substantial loss of life of our military,” the Senate president, Robert Stivers, told the chamber.
Last month, two Tennessee national guard pilots were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed along an Alabama highway during a training exercise.