Perilous
Times
US Army helicopters crash on base, 4 dead
AP
December 13, 2011 8:46PM
TWO US Army helicopters have crashed at a sprawling US military
base killing four soldiers, a military spokesman says.
The two-seat reconnaissance choppers crashed last night in the
southwest training area of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, according
to the Army.
The victims were not immediately identified, pending notification
of relatives.
It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft collided or
crashed separately.
"We don't have details on what actually occurred," base spokesman
JC Mathews said. "That will be part of the investigation."
The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters were on a training mission,
Mathews said.
The Kiowa Warrior is a single-engine, four-bladed aircraft used
for armed reconnaissance, Mathews said. It's often called a scout
helicopter.
The crash site is geographically closest to the civilian community
of Rainier, which is south of Tacoma, Mathews said.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is one of the largest bases in the
country, with about 100,000 military and civilian personnel.
In December 2006, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Fort Lewis
crashed southeast of Seattle during a night training mission,
killing all three aboard.