THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A United States Army helicopter crashed during a routine training exercise near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Monday night, sending two pilots to a medical center to be evaluated.
The crash occurred between Yelm and Olympia in Thurston County around 9:30 p.m. Officials said two crew members were medically evacuated to Madigan Army Medical Center by military medical personnel after the “aviation mishap,” and both are in “stable condition.”
The incident, which happened during a planned training exercise, is under investigation, according to JBLM.
“A U.S. Army AH-64E Apache assigned to 4-6 ACS, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade was involved in training accident on Monday evening at Joint Base Lewis-McChord,” a JBLM spokesperson said via email. “The Army is deploying a team from the Combat Readiness Center at Fort Novosel, Ala. to investigate the incident.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with these families and soldiers during their recovery.”
