Multiple helicopters with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division were damaged this past week after heavy weather tore through the area around Fort Carson.
On Aug. 2, the 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Carson, announced that storms the prior night hit the Butts Army Heliport, causing damage to multiple U.S. Army helicopters, including Chinooks, Black Hawk and Apaches. Additionally, buildings on the heliport were also damaged. No one was injured.
Thunderstorms hit the area around Colorado Springs, Colorado, near Fort Carson, Thursday night, with severe winds cutting through the region. According to local media, gusts of wind hit speeds as intense as 54 mph on Aug. 1.
“This weather event had a significant impact to our fleet. I am grateful there were no injuries,” Col. Nicholas Ploetz, commander of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, said in a statement. “Our Soldiers are resilient and will do what is necessary to recover our equipment and continue to perform our mission.”
The 4th Infantry Division, which the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade is a part of, said it was assessing the extent of the damage. The military did not say how extensive the damage to the helicopters were, how many were impacted by the storms, nor if training or operations were drastically impacted by the damage.
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A spokesperson for Fort Carson told Task & Purpose on Saturday, Aug. 3 that there were no additional updates beyond what was shared in the Aug. 2 release. The 4th Combat Aviation Brigade operates several dozen helicopters.
Images posted on social media show several different helicopters toppled on their sides in the aftermath of the storms. The blades on multiple helicopters are damaged in some way, with some bent or outright broken off. It’s unclear from the photos how severe any damage to the fuselages of the helicopters are.
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