An Army helicopter crashed during a training exercise on Tuesday, Military.com reported on Wednesday.
Two pilots in the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade were treated for injuries after an AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during a gunnery training exercise at Fort Riley in Kansas on Tuesday, a base spokesperson confirmed to Military.com. It is not clear what the cause of the crash was; an investigation has been opened into the incident. (RELATED: Biden’s Army Chief Can’t Explain Why Race Should Be A Factor In Recruiting)
The incident is the latest in a series of helicopter mishaps plaguing the army. Two soldiers suffered injuries after their Apache helicopter crashed during routine exercises at Fort Carson, Colorado, in March. Two days prior, two other soldiers suffered injuries after an Apache helicopter crashed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
That same month, a UH-72 crashed while performing border security operations in southern Texas, killing two New York National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent.
Three North Carolina Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters land as part of storm preparation for Hurricane Florence at the North Carolina Air National Guard Base in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 12, 2018. North Carolina Air National Guard/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY
A month earlier in February, the Army National Guard had grounded its aircraft after two separate crashes in Mississippi and Utah. The Mississippi crew survived, but the Utah crash resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.
In deadlier incidents, five Army special operations soldiers died in a Black Hawk crash in the Mediterranean Sea in November 2023; three soldiers died in March 2023 after two Apaches collided with each other near Healy, Alaska, according to Military.com.
Nine servicemen died in a crash involving two Black Hawks near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in April 2023, according to Military.com There were 14 total fatalities as a result of aviation incidents in 2023, well over the total number of fatalities sustained from combat operations overseas.
Part of the reason for the increase in incidents is attributed to pilots flying less frequently post-9/11 and the subsequent wars in the Middle East, according to Military.com. Since 2012, the Apache’s flight time has dropped by 50%, the Blackhawk’s time dropped by 25% and the Chinook’s time has dropped by 36%.
The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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