A contract instructor pilot died in an AH-64 Apache helicopter crash Wednesday at Fort Novosel, Alabama. The Army identified the pilot Thursday as retired Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel L. Munger.
“To the Munger family, we mourn for you and with you,” Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, said in a statement on Thursday. “We respect your expressed desire for privacy, and ask the Wiregrass community to do the same.”
Munger enlisted in the Army in 1995 and spent more than 28 years in the service, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to becoming an aviator, he served as an airborne infantry soldier, a drill sergeant, and a long-range surveillance team leader. He left the Army in 2023 as an AH-64D/E instructor pilot and became a contractor Apache instructor pilot with CAE USA.
“The Combat Readiness Center is conducting an investigation,” Gill said. “I trust their expertise, and ask everyone to refrain from speculating out of respect for the investigative process and the families and friends of the crew.
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A U.S. Army student pilot who was also aboard the helicopter suffered minor injured in the crash and was airlifted for further medical evaluation, according to a news release from the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
“The Fort Novosel team is focused on caring for his family, as well as the student pilot who was evaluated at a local hospital yesterday and released last night,” Gill said.
Merrill Stoddard, Division President, CAE Defense & Security – USA, also expressed his condolences for Munger’s death.
“CAE is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our valued Instructor Pilots and 20-year US Army Veteran, Daniel Munger,” Stoddard said in an email. “Our thoughts are with the Fort Novosel community as we focus on support for Dan’s family and colleagues during this difficult time.”
Wednesday’s crash comes two months after two Army aviators were injured in an Apache mishap at Fort Riley, Kansas. Additionally, a civilian contractor at Novosel suffered a medical event in April unrelated to flying that required immediate care from two pilots who found him on the flightline.
So far in Fiscal Year 2024, there have been a total of 16 Army Class A aviation mishaps, which involve the loss of life or damage of at least $2.5 million, according to the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center
Fourteen of this fiscal year’s mishaps occurred in flight and two took place on the ground and were caused by severe weather, such as the Aug. 2 storm at Fort Carson, Colorado that damaged one aircraft.
By comparison, there were a total of nine Class A flight mishaps and one ground weather-related mishap for all Fiscal Year 2023.
All total, nine U.S. soldiers, two contractors and one Border Patrol agent have died in Army aircraft crashes since October.
In April, the Army ordered all its aviation units to undergo mandatory training reinforcing basic skills. At the time, 12 Army aircraft had crashed in the past six months.
Loss of spatial awareness and power management were contributing factors to several of this fiscal year’s crashes, Maj. Gen. Walter T. Rugen, then-director of Army aviation, told reporters in April.
“We must reinforce how to revert back to knowing where you are and where your aircraft is with respect to the ground,” Rugen said. “We are working very hard on effective power management across a host of flight altitudes, higher temperatures and wind conditions.”
UPDATE: 08/08/2023; this story was updated with a statement from Merrill Stoddard, Division President, CAE Defense & Security – USA.
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