FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After two helicopter crashes that claimed the lives of 12 soldiers, all Army pilots have been grounded until they complete a mandatory safety training program.
The safety stand-down order came in the wake of a crash on Thursday, when a pair of Apache helicopters crashed into each other in Alaska, killing three and injuring one, less than a month after the Black Hawk crash on Fort Campbell that took the lives of all nine soldiers on board.
“The safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand-down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel,” Gen. James C. McConville, the Army’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “During this stand-down, we will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure our pilots and crews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission.”
For active-duty units, the training is to take place between May 1 and 5. Army National Guard and Reserve units will have until May 31 to complete the training.
During the stand-down, the Army will review the risk approval/risk management process, aviation maintenance training program, aircrew training standardization and management, and supervisory responsibility. They will also assess the flight-mission briefing process with an emphasis on risk mitigation, crew selection, flight planning, crew/flight briefings, debriefings and after-action reviews, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
Units can resume flights after completing the daylong training. Troops participating in critical missions remain authorized to fly but still must complete the training.
The last-known aviation stand down of this scale occurred in December 2015, when three deadly helicopter crashes occurred in a 10-day span.