North Carolina National Guard grounds helicopter crew after “incident” in Western NC

(WSPA) – The North Carolina National Guard has grounded a helicopter flight crew while it investigates an incident in which a distribution point for aid for people living in Western North Carolina was damaged.

According to the National Guard, a crew was flying a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to deliver generators to a civilian organization to power a distribution outpost in Western North Carolina.

While coming in to land, rotor wash – a strong vertical current of air between the helicopter and the ground – caused items to blow away from a distribution point set up by civilian groups in the area.

The guard said upon realizing what was happening, the crew aborted the landing for safety reasons, and left the area.

“This incident is currently under investigation and the crew has been grounded until the investigation is complete. The NCNG is working with the identified local civilian organization to assess the level of damage caused by the rotor wash,” the National Guard said in a statement on social media.

“Safety is the NCNG’s number one priority, especially with the high volume of air operations currently happening across the region. While the NCNG strives for precision in every mission, sometimes things don’t go as planned. When that happens, the NCNG takes it very seriously and are committed to addressing and correcting any issues to prevent future occurrences.”

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