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Army grounds pilots after string of fatal crashes
Army General James McConville has directed that all pilots who are not engaged in essential missions undergo mandatory training before being allowed to resume flight operations. This comes after a spate of four fatal crashes resulting in several fatalities that occurred over a few weeks.
Lieutenant-Colonel Terence Kelley, who serves as a spokesperson for the US Army, has confirmed that air operations were immediately suspended on Friday. As per the suspension, all units are required to complete training before resuming operations.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">US Army temporarily grounds pilots after spate of fatal crashes <a href="https://t.co/6KTKGS1jpQ">https://t.co/6KTKGS1jpQ</a></p>— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1652417542705610757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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On Thursday, a tragic incident occurred in the remote interior of Alaska, where two AH-64 Apache helicopters crashed, resulting in the death of three soldiers and one injury. The cause of the accident is still unclear. In a separate incident, last month, two Black Hawks crashed in Kentucky, resulting in the death of nine individuals. As a result, the Army has ordered a pause in aviation operations, with all non-critical mission pilots being grounded until completing mandatory training to prevent further mishaps.
The Army will examine the risk approval and management process, the aviation maintenance training program, the standardization and management of aircrew training, and the responsibility of supervisors during the stand-down period.
The US military has witnessed several other fatal crashes in recent years, including a Black Hawk crash in February that killed two Tennessee National Guardsmen during a training flight in Alabama. In 2020, four US Marines were killed during NATO exercises in Norway when their V-22B Osprey aircraft went down, possibly after hitting a mountain. Also, two US Navy pilots were rescued after their T-45C Goshawk jet crashed during a training exercise in a residential neighborhood near Fort Worth, Texas in 2021.
The army seeks to enhance its aviation training programs and create a safer environment for pilots and other personnel. The army said that the stand-down was not related to a specific issue with the aircraft or equipment but rather was meant to address overall safety concerns. The training will help pilots become more proficient in handling difficult situations that may arise during missions.
