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US Army Black Hawk Crashes During Training Exercise

A US Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed during training in Colorado's mountains on Tuesday, but all four soldiers aboard escaped without injury, military officials confirmed.

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe Staff Writer

AUGUST 26, 2026 AT 3:14 PM

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning on the eastern slopes of Thorodin Mountain near Denver, with video footage revealing the extent of the damage to the aircraft, which came down amid fallen trees in the mountainous terrain.

Special Operations Unit Confirms Incident

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) acknowledged the August 25, 2026 crash through its parent command, U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, which issued a statement to Denver7 confirming the aircraft went down during routine training operations.

Military authorities stated that an active safety investigation is currently underway, preventing them from releasing further details about the circumstances surrounding the mishap at this time.

No Environmental Hazard Reported

The Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office made public notification of the crash around 11:30 a.m. local time, assuring residents that no fuel leakage or fire had been detected at the crash site. Officials confirmed there is no threat to the surrounding community from the downed aircraft.

The fortunate outcome, with all four soldiers walking away unharmed despite the helicopter’s visible damage and the challenging mountain terrain, marks a rare positive conclusion to what could have been a catastrophic training accident.

With information from New York Post

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe

She was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant from Crete who settled in the Greek community of Johannesburg (one of the largest in Africa). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg and a master’s degree in Journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She began her career at English-language media outlets in Johannesburg, covering politics and economics, with a focus on issues related to migration and the diaspora. She moved to Athens in 2015 to “return to her roots,” initially to pursue graduate studies, and has remained there permanently. She is married to an Afrikaner; they have two children and live in the southern suburbs of Athens.