Army grounds most aviation after fatal helicopter crashes
NBCNov 27, 2022
The Facts
On Friday, the US Army’s chief of staff grounded all aviators except the ones involved in critical missions until they complete the required training.
The aviation stand-down comes after two AH-64 Apache helicopters in Alaska and two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Kentucky collided mid-air, killing 12 soldiers in just a matter of weeks.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The Army and Air National Guard must be held accountable for failing to follow risk management procedures, regularly evaluate pilot performance, create a database to track accidents, and implement post-crash recommendations. Human error is the leading cause of aircraft accidents in the US, and this will likely increase until fundamental issues — such as the lack of simulators and maintenance crews — are addressed.
Pro-establishment narrative
While tragic, military training deaths have always been an inevitable reality of war preparation. Even as the government spends more on new equipment and training, tragedies do occur in this dangerous field. Working to prevent any deaths is obviously a continuing goal of the government, but aircraft crashes don't mean the military is ill-equipped or underprepared.
