A US military Black Hawk helicopter crashed on Highway 53 and Burwell Road in Madison County, Alabama. No survivors were reported.
The crash happened around 3 pm local time on Highway 53 near the intersection of Burrell Road in Madison County, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Video footage from the scene showed thick, black smoke gushing from the crash site. The fire was controlled within time.
🚨#BREAKING: New Security Footage video shows the US Military helicopter losing control and falls out the sky near Huntsville, Alabama before crashing into busy highway sadly no one has survived the deadly crash pic.twitter.com/4Y1qFjcG4H
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 15, 2023
ALEA identified the helicopter as a UH-60, which is a Black Hawk.
The Madison County Sheriff’s office got a distress call on its 911 system, according to ABC News. It is not confirmed yet what military service the helicopter is from, how many people were onboard or where the flight originated, said Sheriff’s office spokesperson Brent Patterson.
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The immediate responders who arrived at the scene found the helicopter “engulfed in flames.” The aircraft was totally damaged and based on the extent of damage, it is determined that there were no survivors, said Patterson.
Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) officials confirmed that a military helicopter was involved in the crash. They could not release any details about the origin of the flight at this time. Pentagon officials told CBS News that the helicopter was involved in a training mission with the Tennessee National Guard.
The crew from the agency and deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were securing the scene. Area-wide roads and passages are advised to be closed following the crash.
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The deadly crash is expected to cause ‘heavy delays’ and police have asked motorists to use alternate routes due to a highway closure. “We anticipate evening traffic to experience heavy delays in this area throughout the evening,” the Sheriff’s office said.
Among the US military and other services, the US army is a major user of the Black Hawk helicopter with around 1,600-1,700 different variants under operation.
