2 National Guardsmen Dead in Black Hawk Helicopter Crash on Ala. Highway: 'Destroyed Beyond Recognition'

A Tennessee National Guard helicopter crashed in Alabama on Wednesday, killing two crew members.

The Tennessee National Guard confirmed the deaths in anews release, which revealed the Black Hawk helicopter was on a training mission when it crashed around 3 p.m. local time in the unincorporated community of Harvest along Alabama Highway 53.

“It was destroyed beyond recognition,” Don Webster, the community relations director for Huntsville Emergency Medical Services, told theTennessean.

Chris Montgomery/AP/Shutterstock

The cause of the crash is currently unknown, but the helicopter caught fire upon impact. There were no reported injuries to anyone on the ground.

“We ask Tennesseans to join us in supporting their families during this time of unthinkable grief,” he continued.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee expressed his condolences and offered support to the families of the deceased crew members.

In atweet, Alabama District 5 Rep. Dale Strong said his “heart hurts” for the relatives of the victims, who have not been publicly identified as of Thursday afternoon.

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Per the AP, Black Hawk helicopter crashes during training exercises have occurred several times in recent years. In 2022, whiteout conditions caused a Black Hawk helicopter pilot to crash into another helicopter near a Utah ski resort. No one was injured in the incident.

Three Idaho Army National Guard pilots died in 2021 when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training flight near Boise, AP reported.

In 2020, two soldiers were killed and three were injured when their Black Hawk helicopter went down during training off the California coast.

source: people.com