A USAF HH-60G Pave Hawk refueling from a KC-130! An evasive maneuver to prevent a collision with another helicopter of the formation, ...
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| A USAF HH-60G Pave Hawk refueling from a KC-130! |
An evasive maneuver to prevent a collision with another helicopter of the formation, caused the Aug 18, 2016 crash of a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released.
The mishap occurred during a night tactical formation mission at the Nevada Test and Training Range in support of a large-force exercise. The helicopter, assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nevada, was trailing another aircraft in maneuvers close to the ground when the mishap occurred.
The flight path of the two helicopters began to converge due to mountainous terrain. The mishap aircraft gunner observed the closing distance and called for an immediate turn away from the other helicopter.
To avoid collision, the copilot made a 70-degree right turn. At an overbank angle, the helicopter could no longer maintain altitude. Despite efforts to recover, the helicopter was already at a low altitude, descended rapidly, and impacted the ground.
Upon impact, the helicopter rolled, resulting in injuries to the crew members. The crew members were flown to a local hospital where they were treated for non life-threatening injuries and released.
The HH-60G was completely destroyed, with a government loss of approximately $21.4 million. There were no civilian injuries or damage to personal property on the ground. At the time of the mishap, the co-pilot was fully current and qualified with more than 290 hours flying the HH-60G.
