The plane crashed near a popular road in Alabama, and cell phone footage showed dense black smoke rising over the road.
Two people were killed when a Tennessee National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Alabama.
“There are no survivors,” investigator Brent Patterson said. “We’ve got a crime scene here. We’ve taped it off.”
Although no one was injured on the ground, the National Guard verified that two crew members died.
The UH-60 Black Hawk was on a training mission when it crashed and caught fire on Wednesday about 3 p.m. local time.
Thick black smoke could be seen rising from the scene on Highway 53 in Madison County, roughly 10 miles northwest of Huntsville.
Highway patrol officers from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency were on the scene, as were deputies from the local sheriff’s office.
“We are terribly grieved by the loss of two Tennessee National Guardsmen, and our prayers are with their families during this tragic event,” said Brigadier General Warner Ross.
“We invite Tennesseeans to join us in supporting their families during this unimaginable time of loss.”
For decades, armed services around the world have relied on the Black Hawk as a dependable and adaptable aircraft.
It can transport up to 12 personnel and is used by the US Army – but there have been other recent crashes.
In 2022, a Black Hawk aircraft crashed with another chopper while landing near a Utah ski resort under whiteout conditions. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The previous year, three Idaho Army National Guard pilots were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Boise.
In 2020, two soldiers were killed and three others were injured after their chopper crashed off the coast of Southern California.
