Nine Soldiers Killed When Two Black Hawk Helicopters Crash in Kentucky
Nine soldiers were killed on Wednesday night when two Army helicopters crashed in a field in Kentucky, officials confirmed.
The crash involved two Black Hawk helicopters from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the Army said. The helicopters crashed at about 10 p.m. on March 29 in Trigg County, Kentucky.
The crew members were flying two HH60 Blackhawk helicopters during a routine training mission when the incident occurred.
Witnesses reported seeing two helicopters flying low in the moments before the crash.
“For whatever reason last night my wife and I were sitting there looking out on the back deck and I said ‘Wow, those two helicopters look low and they look kind of close to one another tonight,’” local resident Nick Tomaszewski told the Associated Press. The helicopters looped back around, and “we saw what looked like a firework went off in the sky,” he said.
“All of the lights in their helicopter went out,” Tomaszewski said. “It was like they just poofed … and then we saw a huge glow like a fireball.”
The Army is currently focused on caring for the service members and their families, officials said.
More information will be released as it becomes available. The incident is under investigation.