The Army is grounding aviation units for five days in light of recent helicopter crashes that have claimed the lives of six service members.

Gen. Robert Abrams, head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., ordered the safety stand-down Thursday. He said soldiers will review flight planning, operations standards, aircraft maintenance training and supervisory responsibilities in order to avoid any future accidents.

The most recent crash happened during a routine training exercise 12 miles south on Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Two pilots flying an AH-64D Apache were killed. They were assigned to the 101 Aviation Brigade. On November 23rd, four crew members died when a UH-60 Black Hawk crashed on a Fort Hood, Texas range.

Press release U.S. Army
Picture Rob Vogelaar