HAN KUANG DRILLS: The pilot and copilot of a Kiowa Warrior died while trying to make an emergency landing at a Hsinchu base. The rest of the fleet has been grounded

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 17, 2020
By: Aaron Tu, Tsai Chang-sheng and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

This year’s Han Kuang military exercises were marred yesterday afternoon by the crash of an army helicopter at Hsinchu Air Force Base that killed the pilot and copilot.

A Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior crashed at 3:28pm, the third crash of a Bell OH-58D in the past two years, although the first incident, in March 2018, and the second on May 10 did not result in any injuries or deaths.

The helicopter had made a provisioning stop at the base and then left at 3:25pm to return to Longtan Air Force Base in Taoyuan’s Longtan District (龍潭), Army Command Headquarters said.

The pilot, Major Chien Jen-chuan (簡任專), reported that the rotor speed was too low and he needed to make an emergency return to the Hsinchu base, Commander of the Army General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘) said.    [FULL  STORY]