US Army temporarily grounds pilots after four helicopters crashed in matter of weeks

Washington: After four helicopters crashed in a matter of weeks, the chief of staff of the US Army ordered all pilots who are not involved in critical missions grounded until they have completed the necessary training.

Three soldiers were killed and a fourth was injured after two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided in Alaska on Thursday. Nine people were killed when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Kentucky late last month.

General James McConville “ordered an aviation stand down following two deadly helicopter mishaps that claimed the lives of 12 soldiers. The move grounds all Army aviators, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete the required training,” the Army said in a statement.

“During the stand down, the Army will review the risk approval/risk management process, aviation maintenance training program, aircrew training standardisation and management, and supervisory responsibility,” the statement said.

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

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

And 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 in 2021. The pilots ejected before the plane went down.

With inputs from agencies

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