On Monday (February 9), the South Korean military announced that a South Korean Army AH-1S “Cobra” attack helicopter crashed during a training flight in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, and both crew members on board were killed.
According to the military statement, the helicopter crashed at 11 a.m. local time, and the cause of the crash is still unclear.
The Northern Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Headquarters reported that the military and fire department dispatched 16 rescue vehicles and 43 personnel to participate in the rescue operation. When the two crew members were found, they had already suffered cardiac arrest. They were taken to a civilian hospital but unfortunately did not survive. The military identified both individuals as second lieutenants.
There was no explosion or fire at the scene of the accident, and there were no reports of civilian casualties.
Following the accident, the South Korean Army has temporarily suspended all AH-1S helicopter flight missions and established an emergency response team to investigate the cause of the incident.
The army stated, “An Army helicopter conducting emergency procedure training crashed for unknown reasons.” Emergency procedure training refers to conducting emergency landings in abnormal situations without shutting down the engine.
This helicopter model had previously been involved in an accident in August 2018. At that time, during a training takeoff at the Gimpo Airport in Gyeonggi Province, the main rotor detached at a height of one meter, leading to an emergency landing.
The investigation into the previous accident revealed that the connecting straps of the main wing had broken. After confirming the stability of the components, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense resumed flights of this helicopter model in April 2019.