Cadiz man recounts hearing deadly helicopter crash, seeing wreckage
“We heard that loud boom and all the engines shutdown, we both agreed that something bad had happened.”
CADIZ, Ky. (WSMV) - A Trigg County man who heard the deadly two helicopter crash that killed nine soldiers, says he feared the worst upon driving to the wreckage.
All nine soldiers, based out of Fort Campbell, died at the scene. The U.S. Army says five were onboard one helicopter, and four aboard the other. The soldiers were doing a routine training mission, according to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, and were flying with the use of night vision goggles.
James Hughes, who lives nearby, heard the crash and went with a friend to the scene.
“We heard that loud boom and all the engines shutdown, we both agreed that something bad had happened,” Hughes said. ”I just didn’t know what to think, I was just afraid to get out of the truck to what I would find. It was so sad.“
The crash happened around 10 p.m. in a rural area just southwest of Cadiz.
”We have a lot of military that live here in the county, got a lot of friends in the military, I was in the military,” Hughes said. “And it just hits you a little harder.“
The U.S. Army sent an aircraft safety team from Alabama to the scene Thursday in hopes of finding data from computers aboard both helicopters that might shed light on what went wrong.
”Our prayers go out to them, wish we could do things for them, I don’t know what could be done but this community will help them in any way they can,” Hughes said.
As of Thursday evening, the U.S. Army was still working to notify all nine of the victims’ families.
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