On February 12, 2024, there was a training incident at South Valley Regional Airport there was a West Jordan Helicopter Crash. The AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter was participating in regular training duty when it went down around 1:20 pm. Two pilots got hurt but they were taken to a hospital and their condition is stable.

A pilot was let go from the hospital on that very day, and another pilot is still in the hospital but stable.

The Pilots

The West Jordan helicopter crash was about an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter from the Utah National Guard. There were two pilots in it, one being a National Guard teacher pilot and another one who belonged to the Air Force.

After the West Jordan Helicopter Crash, both of them were injured and moved to a nearby hospital but their condition was stable. The National Guard instructor, who is one of the pilots, was released from hospital on the same day.

The other pilot also remains in hospital but his condition has been reported as stable.

The Training Mission

The West Jordan helicopter crash took place in the middle of a typical training exercise that involved the Utah National Guard working together with other military branches. The purpose of this mission was to enhance communication and procedures for joint and integrated warfare.

The particular training situation before the accident happened when an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter was doing landing moves at South Valley Regional Airport located in the West Jordan area.

The Helicopter

In the West Jordan helicopter crash, there was an AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter involved. This is a twin-turboshaft attack helicopter that has been made especially for combat missions.

The Apache comes with sophisticated sensors and a tandem cockpit which can hold two crew members. It helps in acquiring targets and fighting against many enemies at once.

It has a 30 mm M230 chain gun and can hold missiles, rockets on its stub-wing pylons. When we talk about the AH-64D Apache Longbow, it comes with a glass cockpit as well as advanced fire-control radar that provides improved target acquisition and attack capabilities.

Emergency Response

Fast responses from emergency help, such as fire and police groups, came to the place where a West Jordan Helicopter Crashed. At this location, medical people treated two injured pilots: one was a National Guard instructor and the other was an Air Force pilot.

After initial care was given onsite they were taken to a hospital nearby in stable condition. The region near South Valley Regional Airport was secured with cones and caution tape for limiting entry into the area where the crash had happened while investigators started their work at the scene.

Investigation

The inquiry for the West Jordan helicopter crash is headed by the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Novosel in Alabama. The Utah National Guard has said that this federal investigation could last as long as 90 days. The objectives and range of the inquiry are to find out what exactly caused the crash, along with any elements that played a part in it.

The ones investigating from Fort Novosel are going to look deeply into the helicopter’s systems, actions of pilots, and training procedures. They do this to find out if there are any safety problems or places where they can make things better.

Pilot Recovery and Return to Service

Subsequent to the West Jordan Helicopter Crash it has been difficult to get any details concerning the state of the injured pilots let alone their recovery process. The instructor pilot from the National Guard was freed from the hospital on the same day of the accident while the Air Force pilot remained in the hospital, having stable conditions as per the reports that got to the public domain.

The approximate date, when they will return to the active duty and flight status is also not specified yet, although it may be out of necessity because they should recover medically first. Most probably, after this calamity, the Utah National Guard and the military branches that the pilots belong to are providing the best psychological support and counseling to these injured pilots and to their families too.

The crash of the helicopter in West Jordan that involved the Utah National Guard was also severe to illustrate the fact that military flight operations are risky and quite challenging. Thus, as both pilots are apparently alive after the crash-landing the losses in terms of damage to the specific AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter, as well as ongoing investigation, underlines the importance of continuous safety improvements and tough exercises.