Navy and Army helicopters sustained significant damage in separate incidents during summer 2022, including storm damage and in-flight fire
Throughout the summer of 2022, the US military experienced multiple helicopter incidents resulting in substantial aircraft damage.
In June, a US Army MH-47G Chinook special operations helicopter caught fire at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island in Coronado during routine flight operations. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the four soldiers on board escaped uninjured. NAS North Island fire crews extinguished the fire, and the aircraft was assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) Night Stalkers, which was conducting training in San Diego. The cause of the fire remained under investigation, as Alert 5 reported.
That month, a more severe incident struck Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia. On July 26, a sudden severe thunderstorm damaged at least 10 US Navy helicopters, according to USNI News. The damage constituted 10 Class A ground mishaps—incidents exceeding $2.5 million in damage or resulting in total aircraft loss. The affected helicopters included five MH-60S Knight Hawks, one MH-60R Sea Hawk, and four MH-53E Sea Dragon mine countermeasure helicopters. At least four of these multi-million-dollar aircraft were blown over by winds exceeding 60 miles per hour, while damage to others ranged from broken tail and rotor blades to structural dents and punctures.
The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 3:30 p.m. with winds greater than 60 mph, but the high winds struck Chambers Field at 3:42 p.m.—just 12 minutes later. The compressed timeline, combined with a shift change among aviation maintainers, limited personnel availability to secure aircraft in hangars or tie them down.
Additionally, on July 8, an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) blew off the carrier’s deck during a replenishment-at-sea operation in the Mediterranean Sea. One Sailor received minor injuries.
All incidents remained under investigation, with no personnel fatalities reported.
