The US military has grounded aviation units for training after helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky killed 12 soldiers last month, the military branch announced Friday.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Terence Kelly said the suspension of air operations was effective immediately until they completed training. For active duty units, training will be May 1-5. National Guard and Army Reserve units will have until May 31 to complete the training.
“All army airmen, except those involved in critical operations, have been barred from the move till they complete the necessary training,” the army said in a statement.
Two Army helicopters collided near Healy, Alaska, on Thursday, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. According to the military, the plane from the First Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks was returning from training when the crash occurred. The unit is part of the 11th Airborne Division, nicknamed the “Angels of the Arctic”.
John Pennell, spokesman for the US military in Alaska, said military investigators were moving into the interior of Alaska and a team from Fort Novosel, Alabama, was expected to arrive at the crash site on Saturday. Some new information about the accident was released on Friday.
The military said Thursday that two soldiers died at the scene and the third was being taken to a hospital in Fairbanks. Pennell said a fourth wounded soldier was taken to hospital on Friday and is in stable condition. The names of those who died were not immediately released.
Army Chief of Staff James McConville said of the decision to ground the flight, “The safety of our Airmen is our top priority, and it is an important step to remember that we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel.” are doing.” units for training
list of accidents
This is the second crash involving military helicopters in Alaska this year.
In February, two soldiers were injured when an Apache helicopter overturned after taking off from Talkeetna. The plane was one of four traveling from Fort Wainwright to Joint Base Elmdorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
In March, nine soldiers were killed when two Army Black Hawk medevac helicopters crashed during a routine nighttime training exercise about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The military said investigations into Thursday’s crash and the accident in Kentucky are ongoing, adding “there is no indication of a pattern between the two accidents.”
Healy is home to about 1,000 people about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Denali National Park and Preserve, or about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Anchorage.
Located on the Parkes Highway, the community is a popular place to spend the night for people visiting Denali Park, which is home to the tallest mountain on the continent.
Healy is also famous for being the nearest town to the old bus that was abandoned in the countryside and was popularized by the book ‘Into the Wild’ and the film of the same name. The bus was retired and brought to Fairbanks in 2020.
