An Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during gunnery training on Tuesday, leaving two pilots injured. The incident adds to a string of recent helicopter crashes for the Army, raising concerns about the safety of their aviation operations.
The crash occurred at the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade, and the pilots were immediately taken for treatment. The cause of the crash is currently unknown, and an investigation is underway. This is just one of many aviation incidents for the Army in recent years, with the service seeing 10 crashes and 14 fatalities last year alone.
Last year’s crashes included a particularly devastating incident in April, where nine soldiers were killed in a collision involving two Black Hawk helicopters at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. This was followed by another fatal crash in the same month, where three soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division died in a collision between two Apaches. In November, five Army special operations soldiers were killed in a Black Hawk crash in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Cyprus.
These incidents have raised alarm among military officials and the public. The Army has faced criticism for its high number of helicopter crashes, with flight hours for their top three helicopter platforms dropping drastically since 2012. The Apache, which has seen a 50% decrease in flight time, has been hit the hardest.
The Army National Guard also grounded its aircraft in February of this year after a series of crashes. This included two Apache crashes in Mississippi and Utah, which left several soldiers injured and two New York Guardsmen supporting border security missions dead. In March, two more soldiers were injured in an Apache crash at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and two days later, two additional soldiers were hurt in a similar incident at Fort Carson, Colorado.
In light of all the news about Boeing, defective parts, and whistleblowers dying, someone sent me this memo sent from Boeing to the Army, and it’s shocking.
The Army just had another Apache crash two days ago on Fort Riley. We don’t know the cause of the crash, but we do know… pic.twitter.com/8m8P1XZqgY
— Shoe (@samosaur) May 9, 2024
Following these incidents, the Army ordered units to undergo additional training and safety procedures by April, in an effort to address the rising crash rates. However, the service has remained short on answers as to why crashes have increased in recent years.
Some have attributed the rise in incidents to a decrease in flight hours due to the winding down of the post-9/11 wars. Data from the Army shows that flight time for their top three helicopter platforms has decreased significantly since 2012. This includes a 36% decrease for Chinook pilots and a 25% decrease for Black Hawk pilots.
The Army has faced criticism for placing blame solely on service members rather than addressing potential issues with equipment or training doctrine. “If we have known issues with certain helicopters, we need to know so we can resource your department in a manner that protects the lives of our brave women and men in uniform,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., stated in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year.
The incident at Fort Riley highlights the ongoing concerns about the safety of Army aviation operations and the need for further investigation and improvements. As the investigation into this latest crash continues, the Army must prioritize the safety and well-being of its pilots and take steps to ensure that future incidents are prevented.
