Army Apache Helicopter Crashes, Two Injured

In a recent incident at Fort Riley, Kansas, two Army AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots were injured during a training exercise. The crash occurred on Tuesday as the pilots, members of the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade, were participating in gunnery training. While both pilots are currently receiving treatment for their injuries, the cause of the crash remains unknown. An investigation is underway to determine the specifics of what happened.

This latest crash at Fort Riley is part of a troubling trend of frequent accidents involving Army helicopters, particularly the Apache and Black Hawk models. In the past year, the Army reported 10 aviation incidents that resulted in 14 fatalities. These numbers are startling, especially when compared to the fatalities from combat operations abroad, which are significantly lower.

The frequency of these incidents has raised concerns about the safety of Army aviation operations. In response to these concerns, the Army grounded its aircraft fleet twice since last spring. One of these groundings followed a tragic accident in April 2023, when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, resulting in the deaths of nine soldiers. This incident marked one of the deadliest training mishaps in Army history. In the same month, another devastating event occurred when two Apaches collided, leading to the deaths of three soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division.

The incidents continued with a November crash in the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Cyprus, where five Army special operations soldiers perished in a Black Hawk crash.

This year, the rate of accidents involving Army aircraft has increased, with rates roughly three times higher than last year. The Army National Guard even grounded its aircraft fleet in February following consecutive Apache crashes in Mississippi and Utah, which caused fatalities and injuries.

Additional incidents this year include crashes at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and Fort Carson, Colorado, each resulting in injuries to two soldiers. Tragically, a UH-72 Lakota crash in southern Texas also claimed the lives of two New York Guardsmen and a border patrol agent.

In response to the increasing accidents, Army units were ordered to review their safety procedures and undergo additional training. However, there is still no clear explanation for the rise in incidents until recently.

You know how Boeing is having issues with their jets? Well, it turns out they manufacture the rotary blades and guess what? There’s a problem.

Independent military journalist Sam Shoemate, who was released from his military service after leaking embarrassing information about the Biden administration, has made a disturbing claim after being given a memo.

The memo sent to the journalist claims that from 2019 to 2024 there have been “defective tail rotor blades coming for the manufacturer.”

Below is what Shoemate wrote when he posted the memo on social media:

These blades have been in use and installed fleet wide and are not reaching their expected service life of approximately 6600 hours. Many not even close to that at all. The Army and Boeing have been good about keeping this all hush hush. Are these crashes due to tail rotor blade failures? One was a 64E at Rucker in June 2022, the other was a 64D at Bliss November 2023. 3 of the 4 crew members were able to walk away, while the 4th will not fly again due to back issues. Because no one died, it’s easier to keep these incidents on the down low. In a perfect world, the whole fleet would be grounded until this was sorted out, but that’s never going to happen.

 

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

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