One killed, another injured in Apache helicopter crash in Alabama

This can be a growing story and will likely be up to date as extra data turns into accessible.

A helicopter crash at a navy base in Alabama on Wednesday afternoon killed one individual and injured one other, navy officers mentioned.

An AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed throughout routine flight coaching on Fort Novosel Military base, about 94 miles south of Montgomery, in keeping with an announcement from the U.S. Military Aviation Middle of Excellence and Fort Novosel.

The crash killed the flight teacher, in keeping with the assertion. An Military scholar pilot was airlifted to a hospital for extra analysis.

Dale County Coroner John Cawley recognized the deceased teacher pilot as Daniel Munger, 46, a contractor and retired service member.

Navy authorities didn’t instantly present details about the circumstances of the crash. The assertion mentioned the accident is below investigation.

“Our major concern is the welfare and well being of the scholar pilot and care and concern for the household of the deceased,” Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, U.S. Military Aviation Middle of Excellence and Fort Novosel commanding common, mentioned in an announcement emailed to The Related Press.

In April the Military ordered a six-month aviation “security arise” requiring extra aviation coaching throughout the pressure. That transfer adopted a dozen mishaps — leading to 10 fatalities — within the first six months of the fiscal 12 months, Military Instances beforehand reported.

“We’ve seen a troubling development with our accident charges,” Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of Military aviation, mentioned on a name with reporters in April. “Actually, any lack of life is 100% unacceptable and clearly when we’ve got [an] accident the place we lose the plane or severely injury the plane, we contemplate that unacceptable, too.”

A Class A mishap, below Military definitions, is any which leads to the lack of life or the lack of tools totaling greater than $2.5 million. The service data the speed of Class A mishaps per 100,000 flight hours.

The speed as of April was 3.22, greater than double the best fee of any fiscal 12 months in additional than a decade, in keeping with readiness heart knowledge.

The AH-64 Apache is a two-person plane. Fort Novosel was beforehand generally known as Fort Rucker. It’s the Military’s major coaching facility for helicopter pilots.

The Related Press contributed to this text.