While a full and complete investigation remains incomplete from Fort Novosel, and formerly Fort Rucker, officials, some minor details regarding a two-helicopter crash killing nine soldiers March 29 in Trigg County have been made available.
According to Doug Ware of “Stars & Stripes,” the strongest source for US Armed Forces news, the tandem of HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters did collide midair during the nighttime training exercise — before falling to the ground west of Cadiz.
Ware referenced a “Preliminary Loss Report” from the Army Combat Readiness Center, which also noted the two helicopters were flying in “military operations area/special-use airspace” when the incident occurred.
The report also noted an average of seven “Class A” flight mishaps per year since 2018, with an average of five soldiers killed in these on-duty flight accidents. The classification is defined as one that creates “substantial property damage, causes death or serious permanent injury.”
It’s the fourth such military incident of this magnitude since January 1, 2023 — one more than all of 2022.
One helicopter had five soldiers, the other four.
A reporter at the Pentagon, Ware stated that two retired Black Hawk pilots told him prior to this preliminary report that it was a “virtual certainty” these helicopters had collided with each other in some way. Elizabeth McCormick, a former Army chief warrant officer, and Chris Marvin, a former Army captain, described how the blades could “shred apart and go through an engine” and that manufacturer Sikorsky had “done a good job of building an aircraft that protects human beings inside.”
Marvin added that “substantial speeds” and “substantial impact” were likely factors.
Official details from the Pentagon and the 101st Airborne Division remain minimal due to an impending investigation.
In a press conference hours after the crash, 101st Airborne Division Deputy Commander Brigadier General John Lubas said the mission did involve the use of night vision.
