Twitter/@miamcshan
UPDATE
5:12 PM PT — The National Guard Bureau confirmed to CBS News that the helicopter involved belonged to the Tennessee National Guard, and was on a routine training mission.
A horrifying accident just went down in northern Alabama — with a combat helicopter falling out of the sky and landing near a freeway … and the whole thing’s on video.
The tragedy occurred Wednesday afternoon in Huntsville, where eyewitnesses say that the military-grade chopper started to descend toward the ground out of nowhere … only to slam and burst into flames along the median of Highway 53.
#Alabama Unconfirmed but this Tik Tok user described the aircraft as a Blackhawk. pic.twitter.com/H1wh3PTQyx
— Nerdy 🅰🅳🅳🅸🅲🆃 (@Nerdy_Addict) February 15, 2023
@Nerdy_Addict
Fortunately, it doesn’t appear any civilians were harmed in the crash — but the Madison County Sheriff’s Office says sadly, everyone onboard perished … it’s unclear how many exactly. Here’s another thing, officials are now confirming this was, in fact, a Black Hawk — which are normally designated for war zones. Some reports suggest it was a UH-60 model.
The moment the helicopter started to descend was partially caught on a Nest home security camera — which actually caught the moment it collided as well … which you can hear in scary detail. This was filmed from quite a distance, but it’s incredibly jarring to watch.
⚡ #AHORA | Un Blackhawk se estrelló en Alabama, Estados Unidos. No se saben las causas del incidente. pic.twitter.com/YsGcaulK2y
— Mundo en Conflicto 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) February 15, 2023
@MundoEConflicto
Aftermath footage taken from a closer POV is just as distressing … massive plumes of black smoke erupted from the scene — and first responders were rushing to attend to the fire.
So far, there’s no explanation for why a Black Hawk was in the area or how/why it crashed. An investigation is underway, and cleanup efforts have blocked off all surrounding traffic.
Originally Published — 4:15 PM PT