Nine soldiers died on Wednesday night after two Army helicopters crashed into each other during a training exercise in Kentucky, officials announced.
The fatal crash occurred at around 10 pm local time on Wednesday, March 29, in Trigg County, near Fort Campbell, according to a statement issued by the Army base on Thursday morning.
Both aircrafts were HH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation aircrafts and were engaged in a training exercise, although officials believe the accident happened while they were flying and not during the actual drill.
All deceased officers were based at Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division. Authorities have not yet made their identities public, pending their next of kin notification.
Brigadier General John Lubas, the 101st Airborne Division’s deputy commander, said on Thursday that there were five soldiers in one helicopter and four in the other, which was quite usual, and that the pilots had been using night vision goggles.
An aircraft safety team from Alabama, deployed to Fort Campbell by the Army, arrived on Thursday and started an investigation into what caused the crash.
General Lubas said he hopes the team will be able to pull data from the aircraft computers, noting that the helicopters have something similar to a black box, which will be able to shed more light on the tragic accident.
Officers from the Kentucky State Police, along with military investigators and other agencies, responded to the scene.
General Lubas described the death of the nine soldiers as a huge loss to Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division, adding their priority now was to care for the victims’ families and the soldiers in the aviation brigade.
One of the victims was identified by his father, Time Gore, a North Carolina pastor. Gore said that his son, Staff Sergeant Caleb Gore, 25, loved serving his country. He said that Caleb’s passion was search and rescue operations.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear asked for people to support the victim’s families. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said he was saddened by the terrible loss and would ensure that troops and families alike receive the necessary care following the tragedy.
