US Army helicopters crash on base, four soldiers dead

RAINIER: Two US Army helicopters crashed at a sprawling military base on Monday night killing four soldiers, a military spokesman said.

The two-seat reconnaissance choppers crashed in the southwest training area of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, according to the Army.

The victims were not immediately identified, pending notification of relatives.

It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft collided or crashed separately.

”We don’t have details on what actually occurred,” base spokesman J.C. Mathews said. ”That will be part of the investigation.”

The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters were on a training mission, Mathews said.

The Kiowa Warrior is a single-engine, four-bladed aircraft used for armed reconnaissance, Mathews said. It’s often called a scout helicopter.

The crash site is geographically closest to the civilian community of Rainier, which is south of Tacoma, Mathews said.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is one of the largest bases in the country, with about 100,000 military and civilian personnel.

In December 2006, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Fort Lewis crashed southeast of Seattle during a night training mission, killing all three aboard.

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