A Texas National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed on the Texas A&M University campus yesterday at about 3PM. It was one of five choppers being used to transport cadets in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets to Camp Swift, a former POW camp that they were using for their winter field training. One officer aboard the helicopter was killed, and the four aircrew were injured and are now being cared for in various hospitals (three of them at College Station Medical Center, and one at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio)
Fortunately, no cadets were aboard the chopper when it crashed (it was, I understand, on its way to nearby Easterwood Airport to refuel), although the officer killed (2nd Lieutenant Zachary Cook) was a recent Texas A&M graduate.
They won’t have an official cause of the crash until they finish the investigation (which includes an Army investigative team from Fort Rucker, which should arrive tonight), but it’s sounding (and looking, going from the photos) like it was a tail rotor failure that caused the crash.
Prayers and well-wishes for those in the crash, as well as their friends and family and everyone else affected by this.
Article in the Bryan Eagle about the crash, with photos taken when the helicopter went down.
Another article, with some more information, including the list of those injured and killed in the crash.