Soldiers in critical condition after 101st Airborne Black Hawk crashes near Fort Campbell

Four soldiers were injured in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Fort Campbell, Kentucky on Tuesday.  Three are currently listed in critical condition.  The helicopter belonged to the 101st Airborne Division, though the identities of the soldiers has yet to be released.

The helicopter, which was conducting a training exercise, went down at around 11 AM Monday morning, though details regarding what caused the Black Hawk to crash have yet to be released.  Once on the ground, the crashed aircraft caught fire; fortunately, soldiers with Fort Campbell’s 1st Brigade Combat Team were nearby and were able to pull the four men from the craft, who were then rushed to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The fire was put out by Fort Campbell fire and emergency services, who proceeded to secure the area around the site to permit the ensuing investigation into the cause of the crash to commence.

Two of the soldiers were airlifted to the trauma unit of the Nashville hospital, with another airlifted to Vanderbilt’s trauma center.  The fourth soldier was transported by ambulance to the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital once stabilized.

“Our priority is to provide the best medical care available to the Soldiers and support services to their Families,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell commanding general in a statement. “Their care and well-being is of our utmost concern.”

The UH-60 Black Hawk is a commonly used aircraft in the United States military and is often crewed by a team of four: two pilots and two crew chiefs.  This is the first helicopter training crash to occur at Fort Campbell since 2015, when Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin M. Weiss and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alex Caraballoleon were killed in a nighttime Apache crash during training exercises.

Thus far, no information has been released regarding the cause of the crash, the identities of the soldiers involved or their current condition.  As SOFREP learns more, we’ll provide updates.

 

Image courtesy of Lockheed Martin