(PatriotSpotlight.org) – During a routine military air practice in Washington on Monday night, an Army helicopter fell from the sky, injuring its two pilots. KOMO News reported that the crash took place between Yelm and the state capital of Olympia. The exercise had taken a dangerous turn close to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), near Tacoma, as Army airmen carried out standard training.
Emergency responders soon attended the scene, evacuating the injured pair to the nearby Madigan Army Medical Center for urgent medical treatment. Military officials said the incident had been an “aviation mishap,” and did not reveal any major details about the crash, stating that an official investigation remained ongoing. The level of the injuries sustained by the soldiers also remains under wraps for the meantime. This accident is the latest in a slew of military helicopter mishaps in recent months.
In November 2023 a helicopter carrying U.S. Army soldiers tragically crashed into the Mediterranean Sea throughout an in-flight refueling trial. In the wake of the accident, Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga of the U.S. Special Operations Command confirmed five soldiers’ fatalities. A UH-72 Lakota helicopter also befell a similar fate close to the U.S. Southern border while carrying out aviation operations on March 8th. The tragedy led to the deaths of two National Guard soldiers and a U.S. Border Patrol agent, according to the National Guard general.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeve also announced the deaths of a pair of Mississippi National Guardsmen in a helicopter crash in a separate incident in late February, during a routine training mission. Each one of these unfortunate incidents took place during what authorities described as standard operations, and it is unclear how they went so wrong. As probes continue into the recent crash in Washington state, questions regarding the safety measures regarding military air exercises continue to swirl. The U.S. military has not yet issued official statements on this latest crash’s cause. These tragic deaths also come amid heightened military activities in the Middle East, and rising tensions with both Russia and China, leaving many Americans concerned about their country’s defenses.
Copyright 2024, PatriotSpotlight.org
