US Army temporarily grounds pilots after deadly crashes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Apr 2023 16:31
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General James McConville orders an aviation stand down following two deadly helicopter crashes that killed 12 US soldiers.

In this photo released by the US Army, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, fly over a mountain range near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, on June 3, 2019 (US Army)

The US Army's chief of staff on Friday grounded all pilots who are not involved in critical missions until they complete required training after four helicopters crashed in a matter of weeks.

Two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided in Alaska on Thursday, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth, while two Black Hawks crashed in Kentucky late last month, leaving nine dead.

General James McConville "ordered an aviation stand down following two deadly helicopter mishaps that claimed the lives of 12 soldiers," the Army announced in a statement.

It indicated that "the move grounds all Army aviators, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete the required training."

According to the statement, "During the stand down, the Army will review the risk approval/risk management process, aviation maintenance training program, aircrew training standardization and management, and supervisory responsibility."

Active-duty units must complete the 24-hour stand down between May 1 and 5, and National Guard and Reserve units by May 31, it added.

There have been multiple other crashes of US military aircraft in recent years, including one involving a Black Hawk that killed two Tennessee National Guardsmen during a training flight in Alabama in February.

Last year, four US Marines were killed during NATO exercises in Norway when their V-22B Osprey aircraft went down, possibly after hitting a mountain, investigators said.

In 2021, two US Navy pilots were rescued after their T-45C Goshawk jet crashed during a training exercise in a residential neighborhood near Fort Worth, Texas. The pilots ejected before the plane went down.