Following a concerning incident in North Carolina where a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter caused significant damage to a relief site while trying to land in a parking lot, the North Carolina National Guard released a statement addressing the matter. The Black Hawk incident is among several troubling occurrences where “rotor wash,” or wind force from the helicopter’s propellors, has destroyed relief sites.
Following substantial backlash and speculation on social media, the North Carolina National Guard released an official statement to set the record straight. The statement began, “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 National Guard confirmed that the helicopter was attempting land, squashing some speculation that malicious intent was involved to destroy the supplies. “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 added.
However, the incident is still under investigation and the crew involved has been grounded until further notice. “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.
Among the
backlash to the incident on social media, the popular conservative account, Amuse wrote,
“DISASTER RELIEF? There were a number of videos taken in the last few days that showed military helicopters hovering over civilian aid operations causing disruption, damage, and injuries. It is unclear if these incidents were accidental or intentional. @TonySeruga tracked down the Black Hawk helicopter seen in the video below. It belongs to the Connecticut Army National Guard.”
Citing their personal experience as a pilot, one person claimed, “I’m a helicopter pilot, both Army CWO and civilian rotor wing instrument rated. They need to make a formal complaint to the FAA so they can investigate. The pilot violated a host of flight and safety rules. The military is not immune. The pilot and whoever exerted command pressure to cause the violation can be prosecuted. Additionally, anyone injured or suffered a material loss can file a complaint and sue for relief. Make them pay.”
Watch the North Carolina National Guard address the controversy in a press conference below:
Watch the incident involving the Black Hawk helicopter below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
