Today, while returning from a training flight in Alaska, two US Army helicopters collided and fell, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth.
According to the army, two soldiers died at the crash site near Healy, and a third died en route to a hospital in Fairbanks. A fourth soldier was being treated for injuries in a hospital.
The army stated that the identities of the deceased were being withheld until relatives could be notified.
Each AH-64 Apache helicopter carried two passengers at the time of the accident. The helicopters belonged to the 1st Attack Battalion of the 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, located close to Fairbanks.
The 11th Airborne Division's commanding general, Major Brian Eifler, stated, "This is an incredible loss for these soldiers' families, their fellow soldiers, and the division." "Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends, and loved ones, and we are making the full support resources of the army available to them."
The army stated that the cause of the accident was being investigated and that additional information would be provided when it became available.
This is the second disaster this year involving military helicopters in Alaska.
In February, two personnel were injured when a Talkeetna-bound Apache helicopter rolled after takeoff. It was one of four aircraft traveling from Fort Wainwright to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
In March, nine soldiers were slain when two US Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed 48 kilometers northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during a routine nighttime training exercise.
Healy is approximately 402 kilometers north of Anchorage and 16 kilometers north of Denali National Park and Preserve.
On the Parks Highway in the interior of Alaska is a community of about 1,000 residents named Healy. It is a popular location to spend the night while visiting the nearby park, which contains Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
Healy is also the closest village to the abandoned bus, made famous by the book Into the Wild and the corresponding film. In 2020, the bus was removed and transported to Fairbanks.
