Gapyeong Army Helicopter Crash...Two Service Members Killed (Comprehensive)

Military to Recover Recording Devices, Investigate Cause
No Civilian Damage Confirmed Yet
Crash Helicopter Introduced in 1991, Logged About 4,500 Flight Hours

Yonhap News

On February 9, an Army helicopter crashed during training in the Gapyeong-gun area of Gyeonggi Province, killing two people, including the pilot and co-pilot.

According to the Army, a Cobra helicopter (AH-1S) belonging to an aviation unit, which had been conducting emergency procedure training from 9:45 a.m. at its base in Hyeon-ri, Jojong-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, crashed at 11:04 a.m. into a river about 800 meters away from the base. Emergency procedure training is a routine flight training in which the aircraft performs emergency landings in situations similar to various abnormal conditions without shutting down the engine.

According to a military official, the helicopter was not armed at the time of the accident, and there have so far been no confirmed explosions, fires, or civilian damage resulting from the crash. It is still under investigation at which stage of the emergency procedure training the accident occurred.

The occupants were a primary pilot in his 50s with the rank of warrant officer and a co-pilot in his 30s. Both were transported to civilian hospitals after the accident but were ultimately pronounced dead.

The Army stated that it has suspended operations of all helicopters of the same model following the accident, and has formed an accident countermeasure headquarters, led by the Acting Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Headquarters (Chief of Logistics Staff), to determine the cause of the crash and other details. In addition, the military has also set up a Central Accident Investigation Committee chaired by the acting Army Aviation Commander.

The investigation committee plans to identify the cause of the crash by examining the recording and video equipment installed on the aircraft. A military official explained, "This model is equipped with voice and recording devices, and once they are recovered, we believe they will help in determining the cause of the accident." However, the communications at the time of the crash have reportedly not yet been confirmed.

The AH-1S model of the Cobra helicopter involved in the accident was first introduced domestically in 1988, and it was scheduled to be retired sequentially starting in 2028, with the goal of completing its replacement by the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH), which will take over from aging helicopters, by 2031. The crashed helicopter was introduced in 1991 and is known to have accumulated more than 4,500 flight hours.

Previously, in August 2018, there was an incident in which a Cobra helicopter made an emergency landing just before takeoff at the Yongin airfield in Gyeonggi Province, and there have been occasional accidents involving this helicopter model, but there had reportedly been no casualties.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Minister of National Defense Ahn Kyu-baek, who is visiting Saudi Arabia, was briefed locally on the accident and ordered the Army to make every effort to ensure a swift and thorough response and follow-up measures.