Apache Down

Damn, this has been a really bad time for our Military as of late.

Two soldiers killed in Apache helicopter crash at Fort Campbell

Two soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade were killed late Friday when their AH-64E Apache helicopter crashed at the local training area on Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The incident happened about 9:50 p.m. Friday, the 101st Airborne announced Saturday morning. The crash is under investigation.
The names of the two soldiers will not be released until their families are notified.

The crew was conducting routine training at the time of the accident, according to the 101st Airborne. There were no other casualties.
Fort Campbell Fire and Emergency Services are on site and recovery operations are ongoing, officials said.

“This is a day of sadness for Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne,” said Brig. Gen. Todd Royar, acting senior commander of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this difficult time.”

Friday’s crash comes on the heels of a difficult few weeks for military aviation.

On March 14, two Navy aviators were killed when their F/A-18F Super Hornet crashedduring a training flight in Florida. A day later, seven airmen were killed when their HH-60 Pave Hawk crashed in western Iraq during a routine transit flight.

On April 3, two more crashes occurred. A Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier crashed during takeoff in Djibouti; the pilot ejected and survived. Later that day, a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed during a training flight in California, killing the four crew members on board.

And on April 4, an F-16 from the Air Force’s Thunderbirds crashed near Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, killing the pilot.

Very sad and distressing news. RIP, Gentlemen, RIP.

1523144336534.png
 
Last edited:
Has there been a marked upswing in military aviation accidents in the last ~24 months, or is it just the internet effect allowing us to know about them more readily?
Anybody with a statistical bent, a sense of history, and access to the unpublished stuff want to chime in?
 
Crop Duster said:
Has there been a marked upswing in military aviation accidents in the last ~24 months, or is it just the internet effect allowing us to know about them more readily?
Anybody with a statistical bent, a sense of history, and access to the unpublished stuff want to chime in?
Click to expand...

That's actually a question that was asked in the article that I linked. Of course, the media links all the military accidents as if it indicates a trend.

It reminds me of the insightful news following the American Airlines DC-10 crash in O'Hare. A couple days later I perked up my ears as they said "another DC aircraft is involved in a fatal crash". The story was about a DC-3 in Alaska.
 
Crop Duster said:
Has there been a marked upswing in military aviation accidents in the last ~24 months, or is it just the internet effect allowing us to know about them more readily?
Anybody with a statistical bent, a sense of history, and access to the unpublished stuff want to chime in?
Click to expand...

Yes there has because training and flight time has suffered due to budget, manpower, and Ops tempo constraints. Same thing that was/is going on with the Pacific Fleet is happening to all the aviation units.
 
^^This

I was gonna say, there seems to be an uptick in catastrophic accidents overall in the military over the last few years, not just aviation. Lack of leadership from the top, perhaps?
 
Lack of leadership & lack of appropriate accountability and lack of money ==> insufficient training ==> diminishing abilities at the sharp end of the stick.

You can only do so much of trying to do more with less.
 
Crop Duster said:
Has there been a marked upswing in military aviation accidents in the last ~24 months, or is it just the internet effect allowing us to know about them more readily?
Anybody with a statistical bent, a sense of history, and access to the unpublished stuff want to chime in?
Click to expand...
Houston said:
That's actually a question that was asked in the article that I linked. Of course, the media links all the military accidents as if it indicates a trend.
.
Click to expand...

@Crop Duster - the unpublished stuff is published. Miracle of the FOIA.

There is a trend. There is debate about CAUSE, but no one is disputing trend or that there are certain strong correlations.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...on-accidents-133-troops-killed-in-five-years/

Article also includes link to a published database of everything they got from the military.
 
FloridaLarry said:
Lack of leadership & lack of appropriate accountability and lack of money ==> insufficient training ==> diminishing abilities at the sharp end of the stick.

You can only do so much of trying to do more with less.
Click to expand...

We are also changing emphasis on training towards more peer/near-peer tactics and attrition of vital skill sets that came with retirement of the old guys so we have to relearn that realm. With helicopters that inevitably means more bent metal.

Only 2 sets of aircraft operate at the very edge of the Atmosphere, Helicopters and the U2. The difference with us is there is a hell of a lot more things to run in to on our end of it.
 
Lawman said:
We are also changing emphasis on training towards more peer/near-peer tactics and attrition of vital skill sets that came with retirement of the old guys so we have to relearn that realm. With helicopters that inevitably means more bent metal.

Only 2 sets of aircraft operate at the very edge of the Atmosphere, Helicopters and the U2. The difference with us is there is a hell of a lot more things to run in to on our end of it.
Click to expand...

Hey, don't forget crop dusters. Always edgy, when operating or not.... it's the chemtrails. :)
 
Crop Duster said:
Hey, don't forget crop dusters. Always edgy, when operating or not.... it's the chemtrails. :)
Click to expand...

Those guys are nuts. Phenomenal stick and rudder pilots, but still... nuts. Mostly because if all of anything goes wrong doing your pitch back turn at that profile you’re screwed.
 
Lawman said:
Those guys are nuts. Phenomenal stick and rudder pilots, but still... nuts. Mostly because if all of anything goes wrong doing your pitch back turn at that profile you’re screwed.
Click to expand...
Gravity got to eat, same as worms. We spray a lot of nut trees, and the pilot doesn't fall far from the tree.
 
Houston said:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/2...h-at-fort-campbell/ar-AAvB1FJ?ocid=spartandhp

Two soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed during a training exercise at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, officials said Saturday.

The soldiers were members of the 101st Airborne Division. The crash happened Friday night and involved an Army AH-64E Apache helicopter.
Click to expand...

I was drinking at a little Kentucky bar when I learned of this accident. It touched my heart when strangers at a bar took a moment to toast the departed and pray for their families.

Rest In Peace, soldiers. Your passing was not ignored by my tribe.
BD0627A8-BCDE-4072-9755-3F7071A35598.jpeg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top