US Army Grounds Aviators After Fatal Helicopter Crashes

Facts

On Friday, the US Army’s chief of staff grounded all aviators except the ones involved in critical missions until they complete the required training.¹
The aviation stand-down comes after two AH-64 Apache helicopters in Alaska and two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Kentucky collided mid-air, killing 12 soldiers in just a matter of weeks.²
According to the Army, active-duty units must complete the 24-hour stand-down between May 1-5, while Army National Guard and Reserve units will have until May 31 to complete the training.³
The training will reportedly focus on safety and training protocols, risk management, aircraft maintenance, and flight planning “to prevent accidents and protect our personnel.”⁴
As each unit reports having done the training, they will be able to return to normal operations, the Army said in a statement.⁵
In 2022, the US Navy ordered a similar daylong stand-down for all non-deployed aircraft to “review risk-management practices and conduct training” after three crashes within seven days resulted in six deaths.⁶

Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Stars and Stripes. The Army and Air National Guard must be held accountable for failing to follow risk management procedures, regularly evaluate pilot performance, create a database to track accidents, and implement post-crash recommendations. Human error is the leading cause of aircraft accidents in the US, and this will likely increase until fundamental issues — such as the lack of simulators and maintenance crews — are addressed.
Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Task & Purpose. While tragic, military training deaths have always been an inevitable reality of war preparation. Even as the government spends more on new equipment and training, tragedies do occur in this dangerous field. Working to prevent any deaths is obviously a continuing goal of the government, but aircraft crashes don't mean the military is ill-equipped or underprepared.