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The poll question is, "Has there ever been a major aviation incident in your area?" If you answer yes, please tell us about what happened. I answered yes because of what happened on March 23, 1994 at Pope AFB in Fort Bragg, NC as well as what happened on March 11, 2003 at Fort Drum, NY.
On March 23, 1994, it was an average spring day. Clear skies, temps in the 60s, it was shaping up to be a great day. But one tragic event would change all of that. Dozens of paratroopers were training on "Green Ramp," practicing jumping out of C-130 and C-141 aircraft. The aircraft were on the ground and the paratroopers were outside the aircraft, preparing to board. At 2:10 est, a F-16 hit a C-130 in the air. The C-130 landed safely, but the F-16 pilot had to eject. After he ejected, his plane slammed into one of the C-141s on the ground and the paratroopers next to it. 24 people died. I was younger when this happened, so my memories of it are not too great. However, my dad was involved directly in this incident and remembers it vividly.
On March 11, 2003 I was watching Fox News at about 3:00 est when they announced that an Army helicopter had crashed somewhere in upstate NY. I had heard many sirens and had seen a few UH-60s flying above about an hour before I heard this, but I didn't think anything of it. UH-60s were common at Fort Drum, NY. I turned to WSTM, where they reported that the chopper was a UH-60 with 15 on board, and it had crashed in Fort Drum, NY, about 5 miles north of my home. They said they had not been able to locate the chopper as of yet. A few minutes later I heard the loud rotors of a UH-1 huey flying low over my house. I grabbed my camera and ran to the hospital, which is walking distance, and saw two Hueys land, one at a time, at the helipad. I got a few pictures, and then went back to my house. It was a couple hours later that the news reported that there was only 13 people on the helicopter, and that sadly only 2 had survived, and 11 were killed. The two that survived were the ones in the helicopters that I had photographed landing at the hospital.
On March 23, 1994, it was an average spring day. Clear skies, temps in the 60s, it was shaping up to be a great day. But one tragic event would change all of that. Dozens of paratroopers were training on "Green Ramp," practicing jumping out of C-130 and C-141 aircraft. The aircraft were on the ground and the paratroopers were outside the aircraft, preparing to board. At 2:10 est, a F-16 hit a C-130 in the air. The C-130 landed safely, but the F-16 pilot had to eject. After he ejected, his plane slammed into one of the C-141s on the ground and the paratroopers next to it. 24 people died. I was younger when this happened, so my memories of it are not too great. However, my dad was involved directly in this incident and remembers it vividly.
On March 11, 2003 I was watching Fox News at about 3:00 est when they announced that an Army helicopter had crashed somewhere in upstate NY. I had heard many sirens and had seen a few UH-60s flying above about an hour before I heard this, but I didn't think anything of it. UH-60s were common at Fort Drum, NY. I turned to WSTM, where they reported that the chopper was a UH-60 with 15 on board, and it had crashed in Fort Drum, NY, about 5 miles north of my home. They said they had not been able to locate the chopper as of yet. A few minutes later I heard the loud rotors of a UH-1 huey flying low over my house. I grabbed my camera and ran to the hospital, which is walking distance, and saw two Hueys land, one at a time, at the helipad. I got a few pictures, and then went back to my house. It was a couple hours later that the news reported that there was only 13 people on the helicopter, and that sadly only 2 had survived, and 11 were killed. The two that survived were the ones in the helicopters that I had photographed landing at the hospital.
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