Two National Guardsmen die in Mississippi helicopter crash

Two members of the Mississippi National Guard were killed when a helicopter crashed during a training flight in Mississippi on Friday, said Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

Reeves said the two-seat AH-64 Apache crashed about 2 p.m. during a routine training flight in Prentiss County, a rural area in the northeastern part of the state. I wrote to X.

“Unfortunately, both Guardsmen on board did not survive. Safety personnel are currently working at the accident scene in conjunction with local authorities,” Reeves wrote. “Mississippi will always be grateful for their service, and we will never forget them.”

The crash was the third major military helicopter accident in the past month.

Last week, a Utah National Guard AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed near Salt Lake City, but the two pilots survived.

And earlier this month, a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter carrying five Marines crashed in the mountains outside San Diego during a storm, killing everyone on board.

Rotary wing crashes have plagued the military in recent years, including one in March 2023 when two Army Black Hawk helicopters collided outside Fort Campbell, Kentucky, killing nine soldiers. It was one of the worst training accidents in military history.

Another Black Hawk crash in February 2023 killed two Tennessee National Guard members, a 2021 crash involving the same aircraft killed three New York National Guard members, and another Black Hawk crash in 2015 killed four Louisiana National Guard members. Seven people died in Maine.

Then, in November, an Osprey crashed in Japan, killing all eight pilots on board.

Updated: 8:13 p.m.