Schumer Urges Air Force, Army To Improve Helicopter Safety

Apr. 12—After a federal review of National Guard helicopter accidents, including a fatal crash that occurred near Rochester in 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is urging the U.S. Army and Air Force to take action and implement the report's recommendations.

The Government Accountability Office examined 298 Army and Air National Guard non-combat helicopter accidents from 2012 through 2021. The agency found flight safety training programs could be improved and that pilots faced hurdles in meeting their flying hour goals, including the lack of crew availability, maintenance problems with aircraft and access to flight simulators.

One of the eight recommendations issued by the GAO is for the Air Force and Army to address challenges affecting helicopter pilot training.

Schumer, D- N.Y., requested the GAO's report after a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crashed in Mendon, a suburb of Rochester, in 2021. Three Guardsmen — Christian Koch, Daniel Prial and Steven Skoda — died in the crash. The accident occurred while the crew was attempting to practice an emergency maneuver.

The report's release follows another helicopter crash at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Nine soldiers were killed when two Blackhawk helicopters collided on March 29.

"We need action," Schumer said. "We cannot let this horrifying trend continue."

Josephine Koch, whose son, Christian, was killed in the crash near Rochester, welcomed the GAO's report and called for action.

What Koch learned in the aftermath of the crash is that pilots faced difficulty in getting flight simulator time because they lacked access to the technology in upstate New York and had to travel to Fort Indian Gap in Pennsylvania. But the simulators were fully booked from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week, she said.

Koch also thinks the emergency maneuver that was being performed when the crash occurred two years ago should not be practiced in the air.

"I know those three men — my son being the chief pilot — were 100% dedicated to their jobs and wanted to come home at night," she said.

Schumer said he will push to ensure the National Guard facility in Rochester and others have flight simulators. He is also asking the Air Force and Army to quickly implement the GAO's recommendations.

"Many of these devastating crashes are preventable and these safety reforms are the first step to making sure that our pilots are well prepared in every flight," he said.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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