Military Helicopter Crashes, Killing 2 Soldiers During Training (Photo)

Two Mississippi National Guardsmen died after a two-seat U.S. military attack helicopter crashed on Friday during a routine training flight in Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves said.

The crash of the AH-64 Apache helicopter happened at 2 p.m. Central Time (2000 GMT).

“Tragically, both Guardsmen on board did not survive. Safety crews are currently working the scene of the crash with local authorities,” Reeves said.

The incident comes on the heels of a Feb. 6 Marine helicopter crash in a remote area outside of San Diego that killed five Marines who had been on a training flight during a fierce winter storm.

Shortly before the crash, at least two wind gusts measuring 21 mph were registered in Booneville, according to National Weather Service data. The temperature was 64 degrees.

On Feb. 6, a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter traveling from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, crashed amid a winter storm, killing all five U.S. Marines on board, officials said.

And in April 2023, two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters returning to Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, after a training flight collided, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth, the 11th Airborne Division said.