Global Courant 2023-04-28 10:09:59
Three soldiers were killed and a fourth injured after the Army Apache helicopters they were in collided in midair and crashed in Alaska on Thursday, the military said.
The incident happened when the two AH-64 Apache helicopters were returning to Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks after a training flight, the 11th Airborne Division said.
The helicopters were from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, based at Fort Wainwright. The names of the soldiers were not immediately released, pending notification to next of kin.
“This is an incredible loss to the families of these soldiers, their fellow soldiers and to the division,” Major General 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 extending all the military’s resources to support them.”
Two soldiers were dead at the scene of the crash and the third died on the way to hospital, the military said.
The injured soldier was being treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, it said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The crash happened near Healy, a community about 80 miles southwest of Fort Wainwright.
An Army base in Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright was established in 1938. It is home to several units, including the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the 25th Infantry Division.
The AH-64 is an attack helicopter with a crew of two – a pilot and a co-pilot gunner – according to the The Army website.
In March, nine soldiers were killed in Kentucky when two Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a training exercise west of Fort Campbell.
Lindsey Pipia contributed.
