LAST UPDATE | 30 Mar 2023

TWO US ARMY Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Kentucky during a training mission last night, resulting in “several casualties,” officials said.

The helicopters, from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), crashed at around 10pm (3am GMT) yesterday in Kentucky’s Trigg county the Fort Campbell army base said in a statement earlier today.

“We can confirm two aircraft from the 101st were involved in an accident last night resulting in serval casualties,” the 101st Airborne Division tweeted later.

“Right now our focus is on the soldiers and their families who were involved.”

Early this morning Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said: “We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected”.

We’ve got some tough news out of Fort Campbell, with early reports of a helicopter crash and fatalities are expected. @kystatepolice, @KentuckyEM and local officials are responding. We will share more information as available. Please pray for all those affected.

— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) March 30, 2023

He added that police and emergency management were on the scene.

Fort Campbell said the incident was under investigation.

“More information will be released as it becomes available,” it said.

“The crash occurred in a field, some wooded area,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Sarah Burgess said at a news briefing. “At this time, there are no reports of residence damage.

Fort Campbell is near the Tennessee border, about 100 kilometres north west of Nashville, and the crash occurred in the community of Cadiz.

Nick Tomaszewski, who lives in Cadiz, told WSMV-TV that he sees helicopters from Fort Campbell pass overhead often, but the two that flew by yesterday stood out.

“I told my wife, ‘wow, those look really close tonight’ for whatever reason… about a minute later, they were coming across and there was a large explosion in the sky almost looked like a firework went off. And then the entire tree line lit up.”

Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division, the US Army’s only air assault division.

Nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles,” the division was activated in August 1942 and gained renown during World War II in the D-Day landings and the Battle of the Bulge.

More recently the division has seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 – © AFP 2023