Two Black Hawk helicopters have crashed during a training exercise in Utah, the Utah National Guard reports on Twitter. The crash happened Tuesday near the Snowbird ski area, the tweet said. No crew members or the skiers were injured, it added.
Break: We can confirm that two Utah National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters were involved in a training accident at approximately 9:30 a.m. near Mineral Basin. No crew members were injured in the accident. Both UH-60s were damaged. The incident is under investigation.
— Utah National Guard (@UTNationalGuard) February 22, 2022
A video of the incident showed the two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flying near the popular ski resort at Little Cottonwood Canyon, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Salt Lake City.
The video was shot from some distance and shows snow covering the two helicopters as they try to land. As soon as the first helicopter lands, the second is seen crashing into the snow.
Jared Jones, chief warrant officer 5 with the Utah National Guard, said at a news conference that the helicopters were trying to land during routine mountain training about survivability and mobility.
“As they landed, the snow started kicking and the plane probably lost sight of the ground,” Jones said.
He added that parts of the lead helicopter’s blade broke apart and hit the second helicopter during landing.
An investigation into the incident has been launched, the spokesman said, adding: “It was a blessing that everyone was okay and there was no fuel leak.”
The Utah National Guard canceled training flights after Tuesday’s crash.
About Black Hawk Helicopters
The helicopter was built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. According to its website, Black Hawk serves with the United States military and the armed forces of 28 other countries.
The helicopters are used for firefighting in support of ground troops and for armed escort. Lockheed Martin said these helicopters can fly higher and carry more than their predecessors.
More than 4,000 Black Hawk aircraft of all types are currently in service worldwide, the company said, adding that the U.S. military is the largest operator with 2,135 H-60 designated aircraft. The same aircraft sold internationally directly by Sikorsky acquires the S-70 designation.