An Army Black Hawk was nearly struck by fireworks during an NFL game flyover earlier this week. Officials said Wednesday that the crew and helicopter are fine.
“We can confirm that no fireworks struck the aircraft, no aircraft were damaged, and no members of the aircrew were injured,” Maj. Montrell Russell, an Army spokesperson, told Task & Purpose.
Videos of the Nov. 2 pregame flyover in Seattle, Washington, went viral on social media. In one video posted to the Aviation subreddit, four Army Black Hawks are seen flying over Lumen Field with the fourth helicopter narrowly avoiding fireworks shot from below.
The flight included four Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. An official from the base did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether there was a local investigation or any actions taken by the command in response to the incident.
Simple Flying, an aviation magazine, noted that the seeming lack of coordination could’ve posed serious dangers if the helicopter was hit. They pointed to a deadly 1982 helicopter crash on a California movie set. A Bell UH-1 helicopter went down after special-effect explosions detonated too close to the aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that the helicopter’s tail “was engulfed in a fireball,” causing the tail rotor to separate, and the helicopter “descended out of control.” Three actors on the ground were killed, and six crew were injured.
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The flyover near miss was the latest scrutinized public military display.
Last month, an airman died after falling during a pregame rappelling demonstration at a football stadium ahead of a U.S. Naval Academy game in San Antonio, Texas. Less than a week later, the airman’s unit announced that it had paused all rappel and ropes training events and demonstrations “until further notice.”
Like rappelling, military flyovers are a common occurrence of the services showcasing their skills at large public events. Each year, the Defense Department receives hundreds of flyover requests for sports games, holiday events, and other celebrations.
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