2 Army Helicopters Collide During Exercise; 6 Killed

Two Army transport helicopters collided and plummeted to the ground Tuesday just before soldiers were to descend to a mock-up of a downed helicopter and “rescue” soldiers pretending to be injured. Six people were killed and 30 were injured.

The accident--the military’s second fatal helicopter collision in just over a month--occurred during the afternoon when the main rotor blades of the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters hit each other, said Maj. Joe Howell, a post spokesman.

The helicopters fell from treetop level and narrowly avoided crashing directly on top of the area where soldiers on the ground were lying around a plywood mock-up of another helicopter, said Howell, who witnessed the crash.

Howell said nine of the injured were in critical condition, including four who were transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Nineteen other soldiers and two civilians also were injured, Howell said. The two civilians, hit by flying debris, were treated and released, Howell said.

Howell said he did not believe the helicopters had gotten into position yet to let the soldiers rappel out.

Howell said a group of about 22 civilians were watching the mock medical evacuation. The two helicopters were to hover overhead and soldiers were to descend on ropes to treat the injured and then airlift them away.

Some of the spectators were from the Assn. of the U.S. Army, or AUSA. AUSA is devoted to boosting cooperation between Army posts and businesses in towns nearby.

They were sitting on bleachers about 100 yards from the crash site. The group just happened to be at the post and had been allowed to watch, Howell said.

Howell said a civilian videotaped the accident. The tape has been turned over to Army investigators from Ft. Rucker, Ala.

After the crash, soldiers from the ground and spectators rushed to help. There was very little fire, Howell said.

One helicopter’s fuselage remained intact. The other fuselage broke into large pieces.

Howell said the day was sunny and there was little wind. The exercise area is surrounded by trees, but Howell said the helicopters did not have to maneuver around them.

The copters were part of the elite 101st Airborne Division based at Ft. Campbell, which straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee line. The Blackhawk is used for attack missions or medical evacuations.

The helicopter crash is the second at Ft. Campbell this year. Five soldiers were killed when an MH-47E Chinook crashed near the Tennessee border on March 7 during a training mission.