National Guard Grounds Helicopters After Multiple Crashes

In response to a recent spate of helicopter incidents, the Army National Guard has ordered a comprehensive safety review, resulting in the grounding of all helicopter units across the country, reported The Hill.

The directive from Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen follows a fatal crash involving a Mississippi National Guard Apache helicopter on Feb. 23, claiming the lives of two pilots. Another incident earlier in February involving a Utah National Guard Apache resulted in both pilots surviving.

Lt. Gen. Jensen stated, "We are a combat force with helicopters training or on mission worldwide every day. Safety is always at the top of our minds. We will stand down to ensure all of our crews are prepared as well as possible for whatever they're asked to do."

The causes of the recent crashes have not been publicly disclosed, with investigations currently underway by the Army's Combat Readiness Center.

The fatal accident in Mississippi claimed the lives of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bryan Andrew Zemek and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Derek Joshua Abbott. The crash occurred near Booneville during what was described as a routine training flight.

These incidents occur within the context of previous accidents involving Army helicopters. In March 2023, a collision between two Army Black Hawk helicopters near Fort Campbell, Ky., resulted in the deaths of nine soldiers, prompting a rare service-wide stand-down under then-Army chief Gen. James McConville.

Before that, a Black Hawk crash in February 2023 claimed the lives of two Tennessee guard members, while a 2021 incident involving the same aircraft resulted in the deaths of three New York National Guard soldiers.

The stand-down is anticipated to conclude after a thorough review by all units, although the duration of this process has not been specified.

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