Reports show that after the consecutive helicopter accidents claimed the lives of 12 troops, the U.S. Army directed its air units to halt activities for a single day next month in order to examine safety protocols and training.
The Army has issued a statement saying that until all aviators have completed the necessary training, they will be grounded.
In Alaska, two Apache helicopters collided, killing three pilots serving in the United States Army. The fatal crash involving two Black Hawk helicopters last month over Kentucky during a training exercise resulted in the deaths of nine servicemen.
According to investigative reporting, the mid-day collision in Healy, Alaska, claimed the lives of two troops at the site and a third on the route to a medical facility in Fairbanks. The Army said that a fourth service member had been injured and received medical care.
According to U.S. Army Alaska spokesman John Pennell, there were two personnel in each AH-64 Apache helicopter.
Pennell said that military investigators were en route to the interior of Alaska, scheduled to arrive at the accident site. No new information was revealed concerning the accident.
A military spokesman confirmed that a pair of US Army Black Hawk helicopters were involved in a nighttime training exercise when one crashed in Kentucky, killing nine people.
Fort Campbell spokeswoman Nondice Thurman confirmed the fatalities to the media on Thursday morning, saying they occurred the night before in southwestern Kentucky during a typical training exercise.
Fort Campbell released a statement Wednesday night saying that two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the 101st Airborne Division had crashed in Trigg County, Kentucky, at approximately 10 p.m. The incident occurred near Fort Campbell and was verified by the 101st Airborne.
CNN reports that the nine troopers killed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have been named. The list of names is reported here.
