A US Army Black Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing at Charles de Gaulle Square, Bucharest, tearing down two public street lights and stopping traffic but making no casualties.
A US Army Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade made an emergency landing at Charles de Gaulle Square, Bucharest, Romania’s capital, on Jul. 15, 2021, tearing down two public street lights and stopping traffic but making no casualties.
The helicopter was part of a group of six that were rehearsing ahead of events to mark Romanian Air Force Day and the end of Romanian military presence in Afghanistan on Jul. 20-21, Reuters says. The Black Hawk suddenly lost altitude and flew low above cars until it landed nearby in a downtown roundabout, which traffic police had cleared.
According to traffic police, the helicopter signaled it was having technical difficulties.
As reported by Stars and Stripes, the site has been secured by police and the aircraft moved to the side of the road. The US is coordinating with the Romanian Air Force and other authorities to remove the helicopter.
“We are working with our Romanian partners to resolve the situation and we will provide more information as it becomes available,” the US embassy said in a statement.
“Due to the expertise of the crew, and the Romanian police officers on the ground, the helicopter landed safely,” USAREUR-AF said.
Military prosecutors were at the site of the landing and investigating the causes.
The defense ministry has canceled the participation of all aircraft in the two planned ceremonies, ministry spokesman Brigadier General Constantin Spinu told Reuters.
“Both ceremonies will be held but without any participation of military aircraft,” Spinu said.
Romania, a NATO member since 2004, hosts NATO command centers and a US ballistic missile station.
The Black Hawk (UH-60) is the US Army’s utility tactical transport helicopter. A single Black Hawk can transport an entire 11-person, fully equipped infantry squad faster than predecessor systems and in most weather conditions. The aircraft’s critical components and systems are armored or redundant, and its airframe is designed to crush progressively on impact, thus protecting crew and passengers.
Photo by Andreea Alexandru/AP via Stars and Stripes