Three soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash

**JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska** - Two U.S. Army helicopters crashed on Thursday in Alaska, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The helicopters were returning from a training flight when the accident occurred near Healy, Alaska. Two of the soldiers died at the crash site, while the third died on the way to a hospital in Fairbanks. The fourth soldier is being treated at a hospital for injuries, according to a statement from the Army.

The names of the soldiers killed have not been released, pending notification of their families. Each AH-64 Apache helicopter was carrying two people at the time of the crash, said John Pennell, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Alaska. The helicopters were from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and more details will be released when they become available, the Army said. This is the second accident involving military helicopters in Alaska this year. In February, two soldiers were injured when an Apache helicopter rolled after taking off from Talkeetna. The aircraft was one of four traveling to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage from Fort Wainwright. In March, nine soldiers were killed when two U.S. Army Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters crashed during a routine nighttime training exercise about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, in the Army 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.”

Healy is located about 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) north of Denali National Park and Preserve, or about 250 miles (402 kilometers) north of Anchorage. It is a community of about 1,000 people located on the Parks Highway in Alaska’s interior region. The town is famous for being the closest to the former bus that had been abandoned in the backcountry and was popularized by the book “Into the Wild” and the movie of the same name.

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