Military: 1 killed, 2 injured aboard Army helicopter in 'hard landing' at US airfield

The Associated Press
A file photo of a MH-60 Pave Hawk, a special operations variant of the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Black Hawk, Colorado, USA --- (Ed Darack/SuperStock/Corbis)

SAVANNAH, Georgia - A U.S. military spokesman says one member of an elite Army helicopter unit is dead and two crew members suffered injuries when their aircraft slammed into the ground while trying to land at a Georgia airfield.

Maj. Allen Hill said Thursday that the MH-60 Black Hawk was returning from a routine training flight to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah when it made a "hard landing" late Wednesday on or near the airstrip. The names of the dead and injured soldiers were not immediately released.

The crew belongs to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which trains to fly helicopters behind enemy lines under cover of darkness. Also called the Night Stalkers, the unit has a battalion based in Savannah.

On Jan. 8, a Navy helicopter crashed about 18 miles off Virginia Beach, killing three aboard.