| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 29, 2023 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision, under investigation |
| Site | Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States |
| Total fatalities | 9 |
| First aircraft | |
| Type | Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Second aircraft | |
| Type | Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk |
| Fatalities | 4 |
On March 29, 2023, two Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters [1] , both operated by the 101st Airborne Division, collided over Fort Campbell in Trigg County, Kentucky, United States. [2] [3] All nine servicemembers were killed. [4] The black boxes belonging to the helicopters were found, as well as night-vision goggles used by the pilots during the exercise. [5]
The crash occurred at around 11 pm (EDT), during a routine training mission over Trigg County, Kentucky. [6] [7] Both helicopters were operated by the 101st Airborne Division. The crash occurred just west of the US Army post of Fort Campbell, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. [8] A local witness, James Hughes, stated that the helicopters had been flying "pretty low" over local homes when the collision occurred. [7] The weather at the time of the crash was clear. [9]
Early in the morning of 30 March 2023, the 101st Airborne confirmed that there had been a number of casualties. [7] A US Army soldier at the scene informed the local WKDZ-FM radio station that there had been several fatalities and that the county coroner had been called. [10] Kentucky state police (KSP) were called at around 10:15 (EST), and rushed to an area of woods and fields. Sarah Burgess, a spokesperson for the KSP stated that multiple agencies were participating in the investigation, and also stated that no residential areas had been affected. [4]
The incident was not the first air collision in the vicinity of the post; in March 1988, 17 servicemen were killed when two UH-60 Black Hawks collided doing routine night maneuvers. In 1996, six 101st Airborne Division servicemen were killed when two army Black Hawk helicopters collided near the post. In 2015, two pilots were killed following a helicopter crash during training. In 2017, four pilots were injured in a similar incident, and in 2018, a helicopter crash nearby killed two people. [11]
There were no survivors of the incident; all nine servicemen perished. They were: WO1 Jeffrey Barnes, CPL Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, CW2 Zachary Esparza, SGT Isaacjohn Gayo, SSG Caleb Gore, WO1 Aaron Healy, SSG Taylor Mitchell, CW2 Rusten Smith, and SGT David Solinas Jr. [5]
Three servicemembers were posthumously promoted as follows: [5]
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear announced the incident on Twitter soon after it occurred, stating that fatalities were expected. [6]
US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said that he was "devastated", and that his team was in contact with the US Army and authorities on the ground. [4]
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) competition in 1972. The Army designated the prototype as the YUH-60A and selected the Black Hawk as the winner of the program in 1976, after a fly-off competition with the Boeing Vertol YUH-61.
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operations to seize terrain. These operations can be conducted by mobile teams covering large distances, fighting behind enemy lines, and working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure. It was active in, for example, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan in 2015–2016, and in Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018–2021.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and these missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice.
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee. Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The fort is named in honor of Union Army Brigadier General William Bowen Campbell, the last Whig Governor of Tennessee.
The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army. Currently a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the regiment has two active battalions: the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
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The 502nd Infantry Regiment, previously titled the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment was established shortly after U.S. entry into World War II, and was assigned as a regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, "The Screaming Eagles", one of the most decorated formations of the U.S. Army. The regiment saw substantial action in the European Theater of World War II and was inactivated in 1945, shortly after the end of the war. Reactivating in a new form in 1956, the 502nd Infantry has served in the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, Iraq War, War in Afghanistan, and Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. Since 1974, the regiment has been classified as an Air Assault unit. Currently, its 1st and 2nd battalions are active. Both battalions are assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
The 158th Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the United States Army.
The Battle of Karbala took place during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as U.S. troops fought to take control of the city from Iraqi forces. The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving American units to clear it in two days of street fighting against Iraqi Saddam Fedayeen Irregular forces.
There were 2,459 United States military deaths in the War in Afghanistan, which lasted from October 2001 to August 2021. 1,922 of these deaths were the result of hostile action. 20,769 American servicemembers were also wounded in action during the war. In addition, 18 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives also died in Afghanistan. Further, there were 1,822 civilian contractor fatalities.
Campbell Army Airfield is a military airport at Fort Campbell, which is located near Hopkinsville, a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States.
The 159th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) formerly supported the 101st Airborne Division, and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While active, 159th CAB made the 101st Airborne Division the only US Army Division with two organic aviation brigades, and currently the 101st CAB is the only CAB supporting the unit at Fort Campbell. The 159th CAB was inactivated on 15 May 2015.
The United States Army Pathfinder Course trains military personnel in the U.S. Army and its sister services to set up parachute drop zones and helicopter landing zones for airborne and air assault missions.
On 16 January 2008, United States Army Private First Class Dave Sharrett II was killed during a battle with insurgents near Balad, Iraq during the Iraq War. Subsequent investigation determined Sharrett was shot a single time by his commanding officer, then-Lieutenant Timothy Hanson.
On 27 April 2023, two AH-64 Apache helicopters belonging to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Wainwright, collided near Healy, Alaska, approximately 80 miles south of Fairbanks, when returning from an exercise mission. The incident resulted in three military personnel killed with another one injured, and happened barely one month after two Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a routine training operation close to the Kentucky-Tennessee line, killing nine troops. The two fatal incidents led to the US Army halting all its aircraft, with the exception of those on "critical missions".
