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Two soldiers die as helicopter crashes into building

Soldiers remove the wreckage of an army AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter after it hit a residential building in Lungtan Township, Taoyuan County, yesterday. Two pilots died in the crash, the defense ministry said. PHOTO: AFP

Two soldiers died yesterday after their army helicopter crashed into a building in Lungtan Township (龍潭), Taoyuan County, Ministry of National Defense officials said.

The AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter hit a four-story building before falling to the street below at 10:11am.

Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Yu Chien-wen (喻建文), 41, and copilot Captain Lee Huang-yu (李黃宇), 27, were both trapped in the cabin of the helicopter.

They were removed from the wreckage and taken to Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital after rescuers used hydraulic equipment to pry open the cabin.

An army press statement said the helicopter took off at 9:38am from its base in Lungtan to perform a routine training mission around the Lungtan and Pingchen Township (平鎮) area.

At 10:10am, the helicopter asked the control tower for permission to land, but one minute later it crashed into the residential building.

The statement said the helicopter did not issue an emergency call before it crashed.

The army has launched an investigation into the incident.

The helicopter had been in service for 14 years.

Chief of the General Staff General Huo Shou-yeh (霍守業) told reporters at the hospital yesterday afternoon that Yu was an outstanding and experienced pilot, adding that according to witnesses, the crew had tried to pull up so that the chopper would not hit the building, and they had done their best.

Huo said Yu had 1,792 hours of flight experience, while Lee had completed 450 hours.

“We regret that we lost two outstanding pilots,” Huo added.

The AH-1W helicopter team was established in 1993.

Yesterday’s incident marked the third accident involving members of the helicopter team.

The armed forces has 61 AH-1W helicopters, which were procured from the US.

The army also said that it would compensate the owner of the building for losses resulting from the damage.
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