3 dead in Army helicopter collision over Alaska

Three soldiers were killed and one was injured in a collision between two Army helicopters over Alaska on Thursday, the Army said.

Two AH-64 Apache helicopters from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment crashed near Healy, Alaska, while returning from a training mission. Two of the soldiers were declared dead at the scene, while a third died en route to the hospital, the Army said.

A fourth soldier is being treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The soldiers’ unit is part of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, also known as the Artic Angels.

“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, the commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, in a statement. “Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.”

The crash is the second this year involving an Apache helicopter in the state. Two soldiers were injured in February when one of the helicopters rolled after taking off from Talkeetna, Alaska.  

Nine soldiers died in March when two Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed during a nighttime training mission over Kentucky.