Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Leaves 9 Dead, Cause Under Investigation

Around 10:00 p.m., two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has subsequently verified that all nine of the service members are killed
Fort Campbell is home to both the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the 101st Airborne

According to officials, two helicopters from the 101st Airborne Division crashed late Wednesday in southeastern Kentucky, killing nine military men. There were no surviving individuals.

The two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided at 10 p.m. in Trigg County near the Tennessee border; Fort Campbell officials said early Thursday. They were participating in a "regular training operation" when the incident occurred, according to a Facebook statement from the base, as per CNN.

Black Hawk Helicopter Crash

The helicopters were medical evacuation aircraft, and it is suspected that the crash occurred while they were in flight and not during a medical evacuation exercise, said Brig. Gen. John Lubas, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, attended a press conference at Fort Campbell on Thursday morning.

He said no more losses or injuries were recorded as the plane crashed in an open field beside a residential neighborhood. Staff Sergeant Joshua Tverberg, a spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division, said two of four Black Hawk helicopters that participated in the training exercise crashed. One helicopter had landed to refuel, while another was in front of the two that crashed.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a subsequent statement on Thursday that he was "devastated by this awful loss" and working with the Army to "ensure that our troops and their families receive the care they require in the aftermath of this catastrophe."

The helicopters were flying in a "multi-ship configuration" with crew wearing night vision goggles, according to the deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, Brigadier General John Lubas. In one helicopter, there were five persons, while in the other, there were four, according to USA Today.

The collision, which occurred in a forested region near the Tennessee border, is still being investigated. An aviation crew from Fort Rucker in Alabama will arrive today to examine the aircraft's black box data.

The crash is one of the deadliest military training mishaps in recent years. Just after 2 a.m., the Army tweeted a press notice regarding the accident. There were no recorded injuries in residential areas.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear stated earlier on Twitter that deaths were inevitable. Kentucky State Police assist Army forces during recovery operations. Beshear said he would visit Fort Campbell to "support our troops and their families following yesterday night's horrific event."

The 101st Airborne Division is the sole light infantry group and air assault division in the Army. Fort Campbell borders Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, approximately 60 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee.

Black Hawks are the tactical utility transport helicopters of the Army. These aircraft are used in air assault, general support, aeromedical evacuation, and special missions. In February, two Tennessee National Guard pilots perished after their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise on an Alabama roadway.

How Dangerous Are Black Hawk Helicopters?

Eleven soldiers and women were killed in Black Hawk crashes in 2023. The first occurred on February 15, 2023, when a Black Hawk crashed in Huntsville, Alabama, killing two members of the Tennessee National Guard. Authorities have suggested that the numerous accidents and fatalities, mainly when the Black Hawks are employed on American territory with no adversary present, may have something to do with the helicopters' real construction.

Two Utah Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawks crashed in February 2022 during a "winter survival and mobility training" event. As the first Black Hawk aircraft landed, it reportedly churned up snow and detached its main rotor blade.

Its blade then collided with a second helicopter nearby, forcing it to collapse. Meanwhile, on December 5, 2019, a UH-60L took off from the St. Cloud Army Aviation Support Center and disappeared for about two hours. The downed helicopter was discovered in a field around 16 miles southwest of St. Cloud.

Per Daily Mail, a mishap involving the Minnesota National Guard found that faulty installation of a hydromechanical engine unit caused the disaster. This issue created the possibility of administrative action against the technician who installed the item and the inspector who inspected it.

On February 5, 2021, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand demanded that the Military 'immediately investigate' the accidents to discover whether there was a problem with the Black Haws' technical airframe that indicated a bigger trend of malfunction.