More footage has surfaced of the disastrous incident in North Carolina where a Blackhawk helicopter destroyed part of a relief site in a parking lot. The incident, among several others where helicopters have done extensive damage to relief areas, has fueled increasingly negative sentiment toward the federal government’s response to the hurricane.
This new footage shows another angle of the helicopter attempting to land in the parking lot. The pilot is seemingly unaware of the rotor wash or wind force generated by the helicopter’s propulsion. As the aircraft hovers, the rotor force kicks up vortex tents and much-needed supplies, to the relief workers’ dismay.
Sharing the clip of the footage, one person speculated that the government is working against the people of North Carolina. “Now there’s another video of an aid/supply staging area getting totally destroyed by a Blackhawk helicopter in western NC. This is the government trying to disrupt the lives of western North Carolinians with the hope that they will be unable to vote,” they wrote.
According to recent reports, the Blackhawk in question has been traced back to the Connecticut National Guard. The popular X account Amuse posted an update on X, which read, “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.”
A subsequent statement from the North Carolina National Guard confirmed that the helicopter had been grounded. The NCNG also stated that the aircraft in question was attempting to land, accidentally destroying part of the site.”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 read.
“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.
The National Guard continued, “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. 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.”
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Watch the footage below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.