Soldiers Lucky To Be Alive After Black Hawk Helicopter Crashes In Forest
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The U.S. Army said four Ft. Carson soldiers are lucky to be alive after their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in remote Douglas County.
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday the UH 60 copter went down on U.S. Forest Service land. The four man crew from the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division had been conducting routine training exercises in the remote Rampart Range area.
"All four men suffered various injuries, two more serious than the others, but none of the injuries are life threatening,"said Army spokesman Lt. Col Jason Brown. He did not believe that weather played a factor in the accident.
Crews from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office hiked into the area to find the soldiers, who were air lifted to a hospital in a Flight For Life helicopter.
Deputy Chief Steve Johnson with the Sheriff's Office said, "there will surely be some hero stories that emerge from this."
The Army is not saying what caused the crash, but video shows the copter broke in half on impact.
"The UH-60 is a very crash-worthy aircraft. It's a very safe aircraft and it's built to withstand an awful lot," said Col. Brown.
The Army is taking over the investigation for the Douglas County sheriffs office. They say it will take six or seven days to complete their investigation.
Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.
