National Guard grounds helicopter crew after ‘rotor wash’ blows away items during landing in western North Carolina

(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. While coming in to land, the helicopter’s 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.

After realizing what was happening, the crew aborted the landing for safety reasons and left the area, the National Guard said.

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

“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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