SKYLINE, Ala. — An Army helicopter on a training flight in foggy weather struck a power line and crashed in a pasture in northeast Alabama, killing all three soldiers on board, officials said Wednesday.
The UH-60 Black Hawk was based at Fort Campbell, Ky., where base spokesman Sgt. Mark Swart said the military had yet to release the names of the victims. They were identified by the military as members of the 101st Aviation Regiment, 4th Battalion.
Jackson County Coroner John David Jordan said the helicopter hit a power line and crashed into a field near a house about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday. Debris was scattered over a large area, he said, and some of the wreckage burned.
"There was fog in the area at the time, but I don't know if that was the cause," said Jordan. The fog was too thick for a helicopter ambulance to fly to the crash site, he said.
Terry Johnson, a spokesman with the Tennessee Valley Authority, said the helicopter struck a high-voltage line connecting a generating plant with a power substation near Huntsville. The wires were not carrying electricity at the time of the crash because of maintenance work.
Swart declined comment on the cause of the accident.
"We'll have an investigation. We can't speculate on what happened," he said.
The Black Hawk was on a training mission flying from Fort Campbell to the municipal airport in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the time of the crash, according to an Army statement. The aircraft was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade.
The crash site is about 190 miles southeast of Fort Campbell.