One Dead as MD Crews Tackle Another Military Crash
UPDATES with one crew member killed and two others injured.
April 17--LEONARDTOWN, MD-- A crew member was killed and two others injured when a Black Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing on a golf course in St. Mary's County.
WNBC News in Washington reports that the helicopter, carrying the crew of three on a routine training mission out of Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia, landed hard at the Breton Bay Golf Course at about 1:50 p.m. The US Army Military District of Washington confirmed the death but did not reveal the serviceperson's identity, according to CNN. One crew member remains in serious condition and another is in critical condition, according to the US Army.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
"We are deeply saddened by this loss within our community," Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker said in a statement to CNN. "Our condolences go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy, and out team is focused on supporting them during this difficult time."
According to NBC, Fort Belvoir is home to the major 12th aviation battalion, which houses over a dozen H-60 Black Hawk helicopters at the base.
Kevin Bowen, who works in the pro shop of the golf course, told NBC he saw the helicopter "flying kind of low" and then "saw it spinning" before it went down between the third and fourth holes of the golf course.
It was the second accident involving military aircraft in the region in two weeks after an F-16 fighter jet crashed in a wooded area near Joint Base Andrews on April 5. In that incident, the pilot experienced a mechanical failure and parachuted out of the aircraft after steering it away from a neighborhood, NBC reported. The jet went down about 200 yards from local residences, but no one on the ground was injured.
