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The helicopters were medical evacuation aircraft, and it’s believed the crash happened while they were flying and not during a medical evacuation drill, Brigadier General John Lubas, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, said during a morning news conference at Fort Campbell.
The aircraft went down in an open field across from a residential area, so no additional casualties or injuries were reported, he said.
The Black Hawks that crashed were two of four total helicopters taking part in the training exercise, according to 101st Airborne Division spokesman Staff Sergeant Joshua Tverberg. One helicopter had stopped to refuel, and another was ahead of the two that went down.
The names of the deceased will not be released until all their families have been notified, Lubas said.
“We’re going to do what we always do,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said during the news conference, acknowledging the fallen soldiers’ families.
“We’re going to wrap our arms around these families, and we’re going to be there with them, not just for the days but the weeks and months and years to come.”
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A military investigative team from Fort Rucker in Alabama will travel to the crash site and look into the cause, Lubas said.
The crash comes less than two months after two Tennessee National Guardsmen were killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during a training flight in Alabama.
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“It’s a heavy day for the Army,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said when discussing the crash Thursday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“Thank you for your comments and thoughts and prayers for the families of our soldiers who were killed in the crash. Our hearts go out to them.”
“My team is in contact with the Army and authorities on the ground. Please pray for our service members and their families as we learn more.”
