Two Army Black Hawk helicopters collide over Kentucky, killing all 9 service members aboard

Two Army Black Hawk helicopters collided over Kentucky on Wednesday evening, resulting in the deaths of all nine service members aboard, according to military officials.

Fort Campbell officials reported that the two 101st Airborne Division helicopters crashed during a training exercise at approximately 10 p.m.

“The crewmembers were flying two HH60 Blackhawk helicopters during a routine training mission when the incident occurred,” the Fort Campbell Public Affairs Office said in a press release early Thursday. “The status of the crew members are unknown at this time. The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families.”

Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 101st Airborne deputy commander, noted that the aircraft landed in a field near a residential area. He reported that one helicopter had five people aboard and the other had four.

Photographs from the crash site showed a large ball of flames. East Golden Pond Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire.

Democrat Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the news on Twitter.

“We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected. @Kystatepolice, @KentuckyEM and local officials are responding. We will share more information as available. Please pray for all those affected,” Beshear wrote.

On Thursday morning, Beshear traveled to Fort Campbell to support the service members and their families and deliver a press conference regarding the incident.

“We’re going to do what we always do, we’re going to wrap our arms around these families, we’re going to be with them for the weeks and days to come,” Beshear said.

While the aircraft involved in the collision are used for medical evacuation purposes, officials noted that the crash did not occur during medical evacuation drills.

“This was a training progression, and specifically, they were flying a multi-ship formation, two ships under night vision goggles at night,” officials stated during the Thursday press conference.

Military officials are still in the process of notifying the service members’ families. Fort Campbell officials noted that until all next of kin have been notified, they cannot release additional information about the service members. However, they confirmed that all individuals involved in the crash were based at Fort Campbell.

Military officials are currently unsure what caused the collision, and the investigation is still ongoing.

Officials stated that the helicopters were equipped with recording devices similar to black boxes found on larger aircraft, which they hope will provide more details on the cause of the crash. The service members aboard the two aircraft did not radio for help before the incident, and no additional casualties were reported.

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