--- title: "Storms damage multiple helicopters at Fort Carson" description: "Several Apaches, Chinooks and Black Hawks were knocked on their sides after heavy storms and winds tore through the area around the Army base." date: "2024-08-04" modified: "2024-08-04" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/fort-carson-helicopters-damaged/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Army" - "Helicopters" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" tags: - "adsafety" --- # Storms damage multiple helicopters at Fort Carson ![A helicopter knocked on its side after storms hit Fort Carson.]() *A helicopter knocked on its side after storms hit Fort Carson. Image via US Army WTF Moments.* 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.” ![A helicopter knocked on its side after storms hit Fort Carson. (image courtesy US Army WTF Moments)]() *A helicopter knocked on its side after storms hit Fort Carson. Image via US Army WTF Moments.* 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. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** 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. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Marine recruit arrives at boot camp with** [**glorious mop top**]() - **Navy** [**sinks USS Tarawa**]() **in latest Pacific SINKEX** - **A USS Eisenhower pilot became the** [**first American woman**]() **to score air-to-air kill** - [**Special Forces**]() **Assessment and Selection: Everything You Need To Know** - **NORAD sent 3 different fighters to** [**intercept**]() **Russian and Chinese bombers** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()