The U.S. Army grounded its entire helicopter fleet Friday after two recent crashes that killed 12.
The stand-down order will remain in effect for noncritical pilots forcewide until they undergo mandatory safety training. Gen. James McConville promised the training “will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure our pilots and crews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission,” according to a statement.
ARMY IDENTIFIES NINE SOLDIERS KILLED IN HELICOPTER COLLISION
Two Apache helicopters crashed in Alaska on Thursday. The crash claimed the lives of three soldiers who were on training flights. The crash comes after two helicopters collided flying out of Fort Campbell in Kentucky in March. That crash killed nine.
All active-duty pilots must complete the training by May 5. National Guard and Army Reserve units have until May 31. McConville said the stand down is “an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel.”
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A team from Fort Novosel will be investigating the most recent crash beginning Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The last time the force instituted a stand-down of this scale was in 2015 after three helicopter crashes happened within 10 days. One of the crashes included the deadliest training accident in history and happened off the coast of Florida.
