By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Army has completed two separate preliminary investigations of the crash of two Black Hawk helicopters during a Schofield Barracks training operation Feb. 12 that killed six people.
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| A flatbed truck transports wreckage of one of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that crashed Feb. 12 in Kahuku.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser |
The findings do not change the Army’s initial impression that any operational, training or material change is required for the helicopter or its crews, according to Maj. Nancy Makowski, public affairs officer for the 25th Infantry Division (Light).
The preliminary findings have been submitted to the command at Schofield. The first is by a team from the Army’s Safety Center in Ft. Rucker, Ala.; the second is by Col. Terry Peck, who is conducting a separate investigation into responsibility for the crash.
The Army intends to release findings of its investigations after the investigations are completed. It could take another eight months to finish the final report on the crash.
The safety team’s sole purpose is to learn how to prevent another crash. However, the second investigation — known as a "collateral" investigation — is being conducted to determine responsibility and any liability, Makowski said.
Investigators examined the scene and went over the wreckage of the choppers in detail after they were trucked to a hangar at Wheeler Army Air Field.
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| The UH-60 Black Hawk wreckage was taken to Wheeler Army Air Field, where investigators studied it.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Makowski said earlier that it appeared the helicopters somehow made contact as they were attempting to land. But she said it was not clear whether the contact was between the aircraft or with either of the loads they were carrying.
Standard operating procedure for such helicopters flying in formation is that they come no closer than three "rotor disks," the diameter of the rotor blades, from one another, according to Maj. Cynthia Teramae, chief of media relations for the division. For the Black Hawks, the distance of three rotor disks works out to 170 feet.
Investigators have examined the "sling-load" rigging used by one chopper to transport a Humvee vehicle. They also examined the rigging for the other helicopter’s load of dummy ammunition.
Correction: The Army intends to release findings of its investigations into two Black Hawk helicopter crashes Feb. 12 after the investigations are completed, probably in several months. A previous version of this story contained incorrect information.
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