US Army Helicopters Keep Crashing: Everything We Know

US Army Helicopters Keep Crashing

The US Army is grappling with a spike in helicopter crashes this year, with 12 serious accidents already reported leaving five dead.

This is a jump from the nine Class A helicopter crashes recorded last year, Army spokesman Jason Waggoner told Newsweek.

Class A incidents involve significant property damage of $2 million or more, aircraft destruction or disappearance, or injuries resulting in death or permanent disability.

The Army reported 14 fatalities after three of the crashes in 2023, according to Army Times.

Officials addressed the rise in accidents by ordering mandatory training for all aviators on April 10.

"Training objectives include instruction on power management, the effective use of the new Risk Common Operating Picture (a tool used by aviation units to assess risk prior to flying a mission), and technical proficiency training for military aircraft maintainers in accordance with the Aviation Maintenance Training Program," Waggoner said.

Army units have completed 95% of the training requirements so far. The training must be complete by June 10.

Several of the crashes involved AH-64 Apache helicopters, but Waggoner said recent incidents can be attributed to human error.

"Our completed investigations indicate human error as the cause of recent accidents," Waggoner said. "The AH-64 Apache is the world's most advanced and proven attack combat helicopter and will continue to serve the Army and our allies and partners for years to come."

Waggoner said the Army continually evaluates its flight training and safety programs regularly.

"During all stages of a mission – including initial approval authority, briefing officers, risk-mitigation planning, final approval authority, and preparation of crews executing the mission – we apply rigid standardization in risk management," Waggoner said.

Dan Ball, an engineering professor at Texas A&M University and a former Chief of Staff for Army Aviation, explained the training that pilots must undergo before flying a plane.

"The flight program takes a crawl walk run mentality to their training," Ball said. "This includes ground training from academics to flightline prechecks. From there a pilot begins their flight training and progresses from basic flight maneuvers to instrument flying, emergency procedure training, and operational flying. Each step of the flight training is evaluated and must be passed before moving to the next stage of training."

After graduating flight school, the pilot begins readiness level training, where they fly with an instructor pilot, then an unit trainer and finally a pilot in command. The pilot then has the opportunity to become a pilot of command themselves. Ball said the rigorous training ensures pilots are well-equipped to fly a variety of aircraft.

"Each aircraft is different, with a different set of operational mission/flight profiles," Ball said. "This is the reason that the training is so stringent and that pilots undergo check rides before being allowed to progress."

Timeline of 2024 Crashes

Investigations into recent crashes are still ongoing.

Ball said "transparency is always a good thing," but sometimes the Army cannot release sensitive information about ongoing investigations.

Two Army pilots were injured when an AH-64D Apache helicopter crashed during a familiarization flight near Salt Lake City on February 12.

The purpose of the flight was to have an experienced instructor teach a new pilot how to use the aircraft, Stars and Stripes reported.

Chief Warrant Officers Bryan Andrew Zemek and Derek Joshua Abbott were killed in an AH-64D helicopter crash in Mississippi on February 23.

The aircraft went down west of Booneville in a rural wooded area during a "routine" training flight, Army Times reported.

The February incidents resulted in the Army National Guard's top officer announcing a temporary component-wide pause on flight missions.

Two National Guard soldiers and a border patrol agent were killed on March 8 in a UH-72 Lakota helicopter crash near the US-Mexico border in Texas. Another soldier on the aircraft was critically injured.

The helicopter was assigned to the federal government's border security mission, Joint Task Force North said in a press release. It went down near Rio Grande City.

An AH-64E Apache helicopter accident on March 25 in Washington state led to the hospitalization of two Army soldiers.

The crash happened during a 16th Combat Aviation Brigade training exercise, Military Times reported. Both soldiers were taken to Madigan Army Medical Center in stable condition.

Just two days after the previous crash, two additional Army soldiers were injured in an AH-64 Apache crash on March 27 at Fort Carson in Colorado.

The aircraft was assigned to 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. The incident occurred during a routine training exercise, Army Times reported.

Both injured victims were transported to Evans Army Community Hospital. They were treated for minor injuries and released later that night.

All aviation activities on the military base were temporarily grounded following the crash.

Two Army soldiers were injured on May 7 in an Apache AH-64 helicopter crash at the Fort Riley military base in Kansas.

Both aviators were members of the Army's 1st Infantry Division. They were flying the aircraft during the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade's gunnery training when the crash occurred.

The soldiers were both taken to a hospital in stable condition.

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