As reported by AP News, the accident involving the Boeing AH-64 Apache occurred on Wednesday at approximately 13:40 pm local time during a routine training flight at the Army base at Fort Novosel, approximately 150 km south of Montgomery, Alabama.
In a statement, the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel confirmed that 46-year-old flight instructor Daniel Munger lost his life in the crash, while a U.S. Army cadet suffered minor injuries and was transported from helicopter to a nearby hospital.
The Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel commanding general, commented: “The instructor pilot, a contractor, was clinically evaluated at the scene and died. Our primary concern is the well-being and health of the student pilot and the care and concern for the family of the deceased.”
Although Munger was a retired Army officer in the position of Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3), he continued working as a contract instructor. So far, military officials have not provided an update on the cause of the crash, which is being treated as an “accident” while the investigation is ongoing. The base will continue to operate training flights pending further updates.
Unfortunately, the AH-64 Apache has been involved in several accidents over the past two years, including a high-profile plane crash in Alaska in April 2023 that caused the deaths of three people. In March of this year, two AH-64 Apache crashes in a single month – one in Washington and the other in Fort Carson, Colorado – with the entire crew surviving.
The previous month, two airmen were killed in Mississippi in consecutive Apache crashes, prompting the Army National Guard to briefly suspend helicopter operations.
With almost four decades of service, the Apache attack helicopter, which has two turboshaft engines, has been a vital component in several conflicts. It was a key asset during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and saw extensive use in Afghanistan.
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