Unfortunately, both pilots flying a U.S. Army AH-64D Apache attack helicopter were killed when their aircraft crashed during a training exercise last night. The aircraft was assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell.
The helicopter was found in Montgomery County near the rural community of Fredonia. There has been no determination of the cause of the accident and it is currently under investigation by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center. The names of the two pilots are being withheld at this time pending notification to next of kin.
As of this morning, the FAA had set up a five-mile TFR over the crash site as emergency crews finished their clean-up and investigators began combing through the wreckage.
Emergency services perform cleanup around the wreckage of an AH-64D Apache helicopter that crashed during a training mission from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. (Photo Courtesy of the Beacon Examiner)
This crash is one of three involving U.S. Army helicopters in the last month, and the second fatal mishap in the past two weeks. As a result, at the direction of General Robert Abrams, the Army is grounding all aircraft in its active-duty units across the country for the next five days in order to review safety and training procedures–otherwise known as a “Safety Stand-down.”
Our thoughts and best wishes are with the Fort Campbell community, as well as the friends and family of the two pilots lost.