Two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed during a routine nighttime training exercise in southwestern Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers aboard. The incident occurred in Trigg County on Wednesday evening, approximately 30 miles northwest of Fort Campbell. The deputy commander of the 101st Airborne, Brig. Gen. John Lubas, said on Thursday that one helicopter had four passengers and the other had five. The helicopters crashed into a field near a residential area, with no one on the ground injured.
An aviation safety squad from Fort Rucker, Alabama, is currently investigating the incident, the cause of which remains unknown. Lubas stated that the helicopters were soaring in a “multi-ship formation, two ships, under night vision goggles at night,” but “they were doing flying, not deliberate medical evacuation drills.” It remains unclear if the helicopters had collided in mid-air.
Fort Campbell, located close to the Tennessee border and about 60 miles away from Nashville, serves an essential role for the U.S. Army, where it is used for security, transport, medical evacuations, search, and rescue, as well as other operations. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Black Hawks were frequently deployed for combat missions while also serving as means of transportation for senior leaders visiting headquarters locations in the war zones.
The Black Hawk helicopter is a vital asset for the Army and is widely recognized from the 2001 film “Black Hawk Down,” which depicted a violent battle that occurred in Somalia eight years earlier. It is also employed by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment of the Army. Cadiz, which is located in Trigg County, was the site of the collision.
Nick Tomaszewski, who witnessed the moment, said he saw two helicopters flying over his house moments before the crash. He had commented to his wife that “those two helicopters look low and they look kind of close to one another tonight.'” Moments later, they saw what appeared to be a firework in the sky. “All of the lights in their helicopter went out. It was like they just poofed…and then we saw a huge glow like a fireball,” Tomaszewski said.
The crash victims’ families stood at the center of discussions in the Kentucky House and Senate, with members observing a moment of silence in their honor. The community of Clarksville, Tennessee, where many of the Fort Campbell soldiers reside, has also been severely affected by the incident. Former Army soldier Chaterra Watts, who had been stationed at Fort Campbell, said she hoped “something positive will come out of something so tragic.”
The cause of the accident is currently unknown, and the Army will continue its investigations. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has extended condolences to the bereaved families, with government officials determined to assist them, “not just for the days, but the weeks, and the months, and the years to come,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
