JBLM Helicopter Crash Caused By Pilot Negligence, Not Mechanical Failure

Pilot error, not mechanical failure, is what caused a helicopter crash that killed in December outside of Olympia.

Several media outlets are reporting that the Army has released its findings of its initial investigation into the crash at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. According to Northwest Public Radio, moonlight and poor communication could have also played a role in the crash, which hit home for University Place, as the 16th CAB is its Community Connector with the base.

Around 7:45pm one of the helicopters crossed the training area where the second helicopter was practicing low-altitude maneuvers. The two choppers collided killing all four aboard. The investigation faults the instructor in the first helicopter. He’d been warned of traffic in the area. But the Army air traffic controller could have done more too to warn the pilots.

NPR also reports that there had been many reports of poor communication in the area that were never resolved.

(Click here to read the full report from NPR)

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