US Army temporarily grounds pilots after 4 deadly crashes within a month
1 min read . Updated: 29 Apr 2023, 06:35 AM IST
PremiumUS Army has asked pilots, who are not involved in critical missions, to complete their training
After the crash of four helicopters within a month, the US Army has grounded all pilots who are not involved in critical missions until they complete required training.
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.
Chief of Staff 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 standardization and management, and supervisory responsibility," the statement said.
The US Army said that the active-duty units have to complete the 24-hour stand down between May 1 and 5, and National Guard and Reserve units by May 31.
Reports of several other crashes of US military aircraft have appeared recently, including one involving a Black Hawk that killed two Tennessee National Guardsmen during a training flight in Alabama in February.
In February, two soldiers were injured when an Apache helicopter rolled after taking off from Talkeetna. The aircraft was one of four traveling to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage from Fort Wainwright.
In 2022, 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.
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.