Utah National Guard Apache crashes during routine training mission; 2 pilots hospitalized

WEST JORDAN, Utah (KSL.com) — A Utah National Guard Apache helicopter crashed Monday during routine training exercises, sending the two pilots aboard to the hospital and severely damaging the craft.

The incident occurred about 1:20 p.m. at the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan, where the National Guard’s aviation facility is housed, according to Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber, the Utah National Guard spokesman.

“No loss of life, 2 pilots in aircraft being treated by medical personnel,” the Utah National Guard said in a post on X.

Kroeber said just the two pilots were aboard the two-seat AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter — a national guard instructor pilot and an Air Force pilot — on what he called a “familiarization flight.” That’s when a pilot learning how to operate a new craft gets instruction from another pilot familiar with it. He thinks the pilots were conducting different types of landings, but he doesn’t know what happened that led to the crash, which is now under investigation.

“They were conducting some training activities out there. It’s just a routine training mission,” Kroeber said.

The pilots, who weren’t named, were treated at the scene by medical personnel, he said, while the X post said they were subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment. Kroeber said he understands the helicopter “is in pretty bad shape.”