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(CNN) Two 101st Airborne Division helicopters crashed late Wednesday in southwestern Kentucky, killing nine US servicemen, officials said. There were no survivors.
Two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed around 10 p.m. in Trigg County, near the Tennessee border, said officials at nearby Fort Campbell. Said early thursday. “They were on a routine training mission when the incident occurred,” the base said in a Facebook statement.
The helicopter is a medical evacuation aircraft and the crash is believed to have occurred in flight, not during a medical evacuation drill. General John Luvas, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, said at a news conference Thursday morning at Fort He Campbell.
No additional casualties or injuries were reported, he said, as the plane crashed into a field opposite a residential area.
A spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division said the downed Black Hawks were two of four helicopters participating in the exercise. Joshua Toverberg. One helicopter stopped to refuel and another was ahead of the two crashed planes.
In a statement after Thursday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he was “saddened by this tragic loss,” adding: He said he was cooperating with the Army to
“My heart goes out to the families of these servicemen and the members of the 101st Airborne Division who serve our country every day with courage and pride,” he said.
‘A tough day for the Army’
Rubas said the name of the deceased will not be released until all family members have been notified.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear acknowledged the families of the fallen soldiers at a news conference, saying, “We’re going to do what we always do.” I plan to stay with them for weeks, months, and years.”
A military investigative team from Fort Tracker, Alabama, will go to the crash site to investigate the cause, Rubas said. Army officials told CNN they are expected to arrive Thursday afternoon.
The HH-60 Black Hawk is a helicopter medical evacuation variant capable of transporting a fully equipped 11-man infantry squad. In one plane he had five people on board, and in the other four. According to Lubas, this is a typical example and includes pilots, co-pilots, crew chiefs, and “medical or other personnel.”
“It’s been a tough day for the Army,” Secretary of War Christine Wormuth said Thursday.
“Thank you for your comments, thoughts and prayers on behalf of the families of the soldiers who died in the crash,” Wormuth said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “Our hearts go out to them.”
“I am devastated to learn of the Army helicopter crash over Kentucky involving the brave 101st Airborne,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement. twitter“My team is in contact with the Army and local authorities. Please pray for the servicemen and their families as we learn more.”
The crash came less than two months after a UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during a training flight over Alabama, killing two members of the Tennessee National Guard.
According to the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, since the 2018 fiscal year, the Army has averaged five fatalities each year in on-the-job aviation accidents.
It is the deadliest helicopter training accident since a Black Hawk crashed offshore during a training mission taking off from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, killing 11 service members.
CNN’s Nicky Robertson and Mitch McCluskey contributed to this report.
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