The recent collision between a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter
and an American Eagle Flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport has brought attention to the safety record of the Black Hawk.
Considered the "workhorse" of Army aviation, the Black Hawk has been
in service since 1979 and has a reputation for being reliable and survivable in
combat and transport missions.
With over 5,000 units built for 36 countries, the Black Hawk
is widely used for various operations, including air assault and relief
efforts. Despite its strong track record, the Black Hawk has been involved in
several fatal incidents, including a collision during a training exercise in
Kentucky that killed nine soldiers.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub told MSNBC,
that the crew of the Black Hawk involved in the recent collision may not have
been aware of the passenger jet's presence, as video footage showed the
helicopter did not change course or altitude before the crash. Gaub also
pointed out that the training mission had fewer crew chiefs than usual, which
may have reduced the crew's ability to identify potential dangers. Usually such
missions have three chew chiefs, however Wednesday's had one. "That's a
fact," he said. "It may have bearing in the future. It may not. But
it does reduce ability of crew to identify an aircraft in flight at
night."
The Army has grounded its aviation units except for critical
missions following the collision in Kentucky and another fatal incident
involving Apache helicopters in Alaska. Army Chief of Staff James McConville
stated that the stand-down was necessary to ensure the Army was taking all
possible precautions to prevent accidents.
A review of fatal incidents involving Black Hawk helicopters
found that while 60 people had died in training incidents over the previous
decade, the Black Hawk has fewer deadly incidents relative to hours flown
compared to other helicopters in the Army's fleet. The review concluded that
the Black Hawk is involved in far less fatal incidents than other helicopters,
including the AH-64 Apache and the CH-47 Chinook.
0 Comments