U.S. Army officials say three soldiers are dead and a fourth was injured when two army Apache helicopters collided as they were returning from a training mission near Healy, Alaska, late Thursday.

The two AH-64 Apache helicopters were from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Wainwright, outside Fairbanks, Alaska. The crash occurred about 128 kilometers southwest of there.

The Army statement said two of the soldiers were pronounced dead at the scene and the third died en route to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The injured solder is being treated at Memorial Hospital. The Army said the names of the deceased soldiers are being withheld while next of kin are notified. 

In the statement, 11th Airborne Division Commander Major General Brian Eifler said, “This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division. 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.”

The statement said a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Novosel, Alabama, will investigate the accident.

The crash is at least the second involving Apache helicopters in Alaska this year. In February, two soldiers were injured when their Apache crashed at Talkeetna Airport, in southern Alaska.

In March, nine soldiers died when two Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Kentucky. A month earlier, a Tennessee National Guard Black Hawk chopper crashed, killing two. 

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. 
…