By Bijan Razzaghi
A US Army AH-64 Apache crashed during a routine training exercise killing both crew members. The accident happened at 9:50pm and the Apache belonged to the 101st airborne division. The accident remains under investigation and the cause remains unknown. This accident marks the 4th aviation accident in the past week with a US Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion, AV-8B Harrier II along with a US Air Force F-16 all crashing during training exercise. In march a F/A-18F Super Hornet and HH-60 Pave Hawk also crashed.
The alarming rate in aviation accidents has raised awareness of the risk associated with training exercises. The US Army’s AH-64 Apache primary operates at low altitude’s sometimes just 20 feet above the ground. Apaches are designed to navigate through terrain at time in order to evade detection and engage ground targets from the cover of hills, mountains, and other terrain. These types of missions often add a level of risk. Previous accidents took place during the Kosovo War where two Apaches were lost in accidents during a training exercise in Albania.
