A North Carolina National Guard aircrew is under investigation following an incident in which supplies at a relief site were accidentally destroyed during a landing attempt. There have been several incidents in which rotor wash, or the wind force generated by the propulsion from propellors, kicked up critical supplies and tents as the Black Hawk helicopter hovered too low.
According to reports, the crew of the Black Hawk was attempting to deliver generators to the relief site, but upon trying to land, the rotor wash kicked up tents and other supplies that flew into the air. Realizing that a landing was not possible in the parking lot, the crew aborted the attempt and flew away. The crew has since been grounded as the North Carolina National Guard assesses the damage.
As footage of the incident went viral across social media, users attempted to identify the helicopter and hold the crew accountable. Users initially speculated that the Black Hawk was being operated by the Connecticut National Guard. However, it was recently confirmed that the air craft actually belonged to the North Carolina National Guard.
The North Carolina National Guard recently put out a statement addressing the controversy as speculation continued to spread across the internet. “The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) is aware of an incident involving a NCNG UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a delivery of generators at the request of a local civilian organization to power their distribution outpost in western North Carolina,” the statement began.
The announcement explained the impact of the rotor wash on the relief site. “While attempting to land, rotor wash caused items to blow away from the local distribution set up by a group of civilians in the area. The crew immediately identified the situation, aborted the landing for safety reasons, and departed the area,” the statement continued.
The NCNG confirmed that the crew responsible for the incident had been grounded. “This incident is currently under investigation and the crew has been grounded until the investigation is complete. The NCNG is working with the identified local civilian organization to assess the level of damage caused by the rotor wash,” it continued.
“Safety is the NCNG’s number one priority, especially with the high volume of air operations currently happening across the region. While the NCNG strives for precision in every mission, sometimes things don’t go as planned. When that happens, the NCNG takes it very seriously and are committed to addressing and correcting any issues to prevent future occurrences,” the NCNG concluded.
Watch the incident below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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