Nine Soldiers Killed In Blackhawk Collision

Nine Army soldiers were killed when two Blackhawk helicopters collided during a “multi-ship” night training mission in Kentucky late Wednesday. The helicopters were operated by 101st Airborne Division, the so-called…

Nine Army soldiers were killed when two Blackhawk helicopters collided during a "multi-ship" night training mission in Kentucky late Wednesday. The helicopters were operated by 101st Airborne Division, the so-called Screaming Eagles, the Army's only airborne assault unit based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The crews were using night vision gear on the exercise when the crash occurred over a rural area of Trigg County near the Tennessee border.

There were four soldiers on one of the helicopters and five on the other. It's not clear how many other helicopters were in the formation. The crash comes a few weeks after a Tennessee National Guard Blackhawk crashed beside a highway in northern Alabama, killing both pilots.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.