National Guard Crew Grounded During Investigation Of Incident

The North Carolina National Guard is investigating an incident in which one of their helicopters flew too low over a hurricane relief camp, scattering tents and supplies with its rotor wash.

The crew of the Black Hawk has been grounded while the investigation is carried out. The camp was established by the United Cajun Navy (UCN), a member of which filmed the incident and put it out on X (twitter).

An official with the Guard said that the UH-60 crew was delivering generators when they got too close to the camp in Burnsville. That official said, “The crew immediately identified the situation, aborted the landing for safety reasons, and departed the area.” The Guard has acknowledged that the helicopter crew did not receive clearance from anyone on the scene to land.

Guard officials said they are working with the UCN to assess the level of damage caused by the rotor wash. The Vice President of the United Cajun Navy, Biran Trascher, confirmed the investigation.

Trascher said, “We are grateful for the Swift actions taken by the National Guard and anxiously await the results of the investigation.”

Trascher appeared on “The Glenn Beck Program” and discussed the incident. Trascher is an experienced fixed wing pilot and his comments indicate that it’s not entirely clear the helicopter’s actions were intentional. However when he described what he saw in the video, he said that as the helicopter flew low over the camp it maneuvered with a left bank and aft pitch which, in his estimation, increased the strength of the rotor wash over the immediate area and scattered the tents and materials.

Trascher also made a point to note that he is accusing anyone of intentionally disrupting the camp and its operations, and is hopeful that the North Carolina National Guard comes back with a reasonable explanation.

FMI:  unitedcajunnavy.org/