WEST JORDAN, Utah — One pilot remains hospitalized the day after a Utah Army National Guard helicopter was involved in a "training accident" crash in West Jordan Monday afternoon.
The incident involved a AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters at the West Jordan Army Aviation Support Facility at South Valley Regional Airport.
Two pilots were treated by medical personnel and transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition. One of the pilots involved was a senior instructor and an experienced pilot.
On Tuesday, the Utah National Guard said one pilot was released Monday night, while the other remains in the hospital in stable condition, although he was speaking with family and friends.
The incident occurred during during what the Utah Army National Guard called a routine training mission just before 1:30 p.m. at the airport. Part of the training involved landing, but exact details on what led to the crash are not yet known.
"This is an AH-64 Apache Longbow Helicopter. It's an attack helicopter," explained Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber. "Attack and reconnaissance is its primary mission."
No deaths were reported in the incident, which will be investigated by a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center starting Tuesday. It's expected that the investigation will take up to 90 days to be completed.
The helicopter suffered extensive damage during the crash, although the full nature of the damage has not yet been released.
Monday's accident comes nearly two years after Utah National Guard helicopters crashed during a training accident near the Snowbird ski resort in American Fork Canyon.
In February 2022, helicopters were attempting to land in an approved landing zone when both experienced white out conditions. During the landing, a blade from the second helicopter's main rotor system struck the main helicopter, taking out its tail rotor, forcing one of the helicopters landed on its side.
No one was injured during the 2022 accident.
