Three troops were killed and one was injured after two U.S. Army helicopters collided in midair while returning from a training mission in Alaska on Thursday, according to the Army.
Three of the troops perished—two at the scene of the accident in Healy, Alaska, and one while being transported to a Fairbanks hospital. According to a statement released by the Army on Thursday, a fourth soldier was receiving medical attention for injuries. On Friday, further details were not readily accessible.
The Army said that the identities of those deceased were being kept a secret until family members could be informed.
More information will be made public when it becomes available, according to the Army, which stated that the crash’s cause was being investigated. The inquiry will be carried out by a team from Fort Novosel, Alabama, the Army said.
According to a statement made earlier on Thursday by John Pennell, a representative for the U.S. Army Alaska, each AH-64 Apache helicopter was carrying two passengers at the time of the incident.
The helicopters were from the Fort Wainwright-based 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, which is located close to Fairbanks.
According to Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, “this is a tremendous loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and the division.” “Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, and loved ones, and we are putting the full weight of the Army at their disposal to help them.”
The incident is Alaska’s second involving military helicopters this year.
When an Apache chopper overturned after taking off from Talkeetna in February, two troops were injured. The aircraft was one of four heading from Fort Wainwright to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
In March, two U.S. Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed while conducting a normal training exercise at night approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, resulting in the deaths of nine troops.
Healy is around 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Anchorage and 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Denali National Park and Preserve.
The town of Healy, which has 1,000 residents, is situated on the Parks Highway in the interior of Alaska. It is a well-liked location for visitors to stay the night while exploring the neighboring park, which is home to Denali, the highest peak on the continent.
Healy is renowned for being the nearest town to the decommissioned bus that was left in the wilderness and made popular by the novel “Into the Wild” and the corresponding motion picture. In 2020, the bus was hauled out and transported to Fairbanks.
