Three Soldiers Dead, Lone Survivor Rushed to Hospital After Pair of Apache Helicopters Crash
Three soldiers were killed and a fourth was hospitalized Thursday after two Army helicopters collided during a training exercise in Alaska.
According to Alaska’s News Source, Army officials said the AH-65 Apache helicopters from the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment were returning to Fort Wainwright from a training flight.
There were two people aboard each helicopter, according to the report.
“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division. Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.” -MG Brian Eifler pic.twitter.com/IEw6jzus4R
— Eleventh Airborne (@11thAirborneDiv) April 28, 2023
Two of the soldiers died at the scene of the crash, one died on the way to the hospital, and the fourth is being treated for injuries at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
The extent of the surviving soldier’s injuries is unknown.
The crash occurred about 100 miles south of Fort Wainwright near Healy, Alaska.
According to CBS News, Healy is located about 10 miles north of Alaska’s famed Denali National Park and Preserve.
First responders are on the scene. The incident is under investigation and more information about the incident will be released when it becomes available.
— Eleventh Airborne (@11thAirborneDiv) April 28, 2023
“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, said in a statement.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.”
Names of the crash victims have not been released.
Eifler’s statement said a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Novosel, Alabama, will investigate the accident, “and more information about the incident will be released as it becomes available.”
According to Military.com, this crash marks the second deadly training accident for the U.S. military in less than a month, and the second Apache helicopter accident in Alaska this year.
On March 29, nine soldiers were killed when two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters collided in midair during another routine training exercise.
That crash occurred 30 miles northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during a nighttime flight.
In February, two soldiers were injured, also from Fort Wainwright’s 25th Attack Battalion, when an Apache helicopter rolled shortly after takeoff from Talkeetna, Alaska.
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