A helicopter belonging to the Tennessee National Guard crashed down in the middle of a highway in the northern part of Alabama this past Wednesday evening, resulting in the deaths of the two people on board, according to authorities.
The helicopter in question, a UH-60 Black Hawk, slammed into the highway just a bit north of Huntsville at roughly 3:00 p.m., exploding into flames directly on impact. Local officials have reported that two people died as a result of the crash, according to Fox 52. No one ground side ended up being injured as a result of the helicopter crash.
One U.S. official did confirm to ABC News that the aircraft was assigned to the Tennessee National Guard. The two guardsmen were taking part in a mission for training when the aircraft suddenly spiraled into the ground. Video of the incident which was captured by a doorbell camera in a nearby neighborhood close to the rash showed the Black Hawk helicopter spinning out of control and quickly slamming into the ground, as reported by the outlet the Tennessean.
A short video of the helicopter crash in Harvest (north of Huntsville) from Savanna Terry pic.twitter.com/v1T5vk4gq5
— James Spann (@spann) February 15, 2023
Witnesses of the event spoke out about hearing an insanely loud noise, akin to a car without a muffler but much louder, all before a massive bang.
“We saw it hit the ground and it exploded,” expressed Tammy Adams, going on to add, “We knew there could not be anybody surviving that.”
“There’s nothing there, at all,” explained Chermonica Johnson to the outlet WAAY. “You can’t even tell it was an aircraft.”
Alabama state troopers and officers out of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department were quickly able to make it to and secure the scene across highway 53 in the wake of the horrible incident. Both state and federal authorities are looking into the events of the crash, as reported by a spokesperson for the Tennessee National Guard.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee put out a statement this past Wednesday evening regarding the deadly crash.
“Maria & I are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two Tennessee National Guard members,” he stated. “Please join us in lifting their families up in prayer & support during this time of unspeakable grief.”
