An investigation is underway after two Utah Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were damaged, with one losing a main rotor blade, as both aircraft attempted to land on a snowy landing zone near Snowbird on Tuesday.
No serious injuries were reported during the incident, military officials said.
The incident occurred around 9:25 a.m. near Snowbird Ski Resort in the Mineral Basin area Tuesday morning when downwash from helicopter blades churned up a cloud of fresh snow, obscuring visibility, according to a military spokesperson.
“As they landed, the snow kicked up and the aircraft probably lost sight of the ground,” Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jared Jones, aviation public affairs officer for Utah Army National Guard, said during a press conference.
The Black Hawk crews were conducting regular winter training when they attempted to make the landing about 150 yards away from the resort area at the approved site, which Jones described as large and fairly level.
“It was a blessing that everyone was OK.”
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jared Jones, aviation public affairs officer for Utah Army National Guard
“We know that there were portions of the [main] rotor blade that separated from the helicopter and struck the second helicopter,” which then landed quickly, Jones said.
No fuel leaked during the incident, he said, and the crew was able to walk away from the accident site, and take a resort tram down the mountain to seek medical attention.
“It was a blessing that everyone was OK,” Jones said.
Here is a video of the Blackhawks crashing while we were riding down Mineral Basin around 9:30 am. Military buddy I was riding with recognized the Hawks coming in to land. So far sounds like everyone was ok from what we’ve heard. Thankfully! Video cred: Tom Carney #snowbird pic.twitter.com/JKTAqndqdE
— Cory Inman (@IM_Inman) February 22, 2022
One witness told The Salt Lake Tribune that he saw people “within feet” of the accident site. “It was close; it was a pretty scary event,” he told the newspaper.
The accident is rare for the National Guard flight crews, Jones said.
The unit routinely conducts summer and winter mountainous training that involves dust and snow conditions, including full white-out conditions, he said.
“Snow at this time of year is very common and usually celebrated,” Jones said. “The crew trains to land in snowy conditions,” or ice, he said. “It’s a normal thing.”
Immediately after the incident, Army National Guard maintenance test pilots assessed the damage and following an investigation, the aircraft will be removed as soon as possible, he said.
“In combat, there are places that you have to land sometimes that are that difficult,” he said.
“We are grateful that no one was seriously injured thanks to the quick reaction and training of both command pilots,” Maj. Matthew Green, commander, 2nd GSAB said, KUTV reported. “Right now, our top priority is taking care of both crews.”
