Fort Carson pilots crashed more helicopters than any other Army unit last year, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the service's worst accidents.

The Army racked up 28 Class A crashes -- accidents that caused a death or at least $1 million in damage -- from Oct. 1, 2001, to Sept.30.

Seventeen people died, and the accidents caused $286 million in damage.

The higher-than-average crash rate prompted the Army to take several steps to improve safety.

Five of the helicopters were from Fort Carson's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. All five were destroyed, but pilots and crew suffered no serious injuries.

The only accident in Colorado Springs occurred when an Apache helicopter crashed in September west of Pikes Peak. The others happened during training out of town.

The five crashes outdistanced other regiments. One Army unit had two Class A crashes last year. No other unit had more than one.

Fort Carson's helicopter crash rate wasn't just high last year.

In the nearly seven years since the unit moved to Fort Carson from Texas, its crash rate is about 21/2 times the Army average, including less-serious accidents, said Lt. Col. Robert Douthit, commander of the regiment's 4th Squadron, which operates the helicopters.

Even without Fort Carson's crashes, the Army suffered 23 Class A aviation accidents -- the most in the past five years. Since Oct. 1, the Army has had three Class A crashes.

The Army had a higher number of ground crashes -- on and off duty -- last year compared with a year earlier.

"We have a problem," said Maj. Steve Stover, a Pentagon spokesman. "It's a wake-up call."

The Army attributed the increase to more missions, mechanical problems, insufficient training, soldiers' poor judgment and other factors.

The crashes prompted the Army to re-enforce safety programs, create a panel to study risks, spend more on safety and ensure commanders address problems with soldiers immediately.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki ordered a safety study throughout the service, which continues.

Fort Carson's high crash rate drew special attention.

The Army Safety Center in Alabama, which studies accidents, sent experts to the post for 10 days in late September and early October to review squadron operations, Douthit said.

The center sends teams to units every year or so, but it's unusual to get a visit because of accidents, he said.

A Safety Center spokeswoman refused to answer questions about its visit or what the team found, referring inquires to the unit.

"They didn't find anything that we were doing that was 180 degrees in the wrong direction," Douthit said. "There is no silver bullet to solve this."

Of the five crashes, two were attributed to mechanical failure, which the Army is addressing, Douthit said.

Pilot error caused the other three, he said.

The squadron did an internal investigation after each crash and increased training when it found pilots made mistakes such as landing in dusty conditions at night or taking off at high altitudes, Douthit said.

After one crash, Douthit replaced one commander with a more experienced officer.

The Safety Center team suggested personnel and logistics changes, some of which are in place.

The team urged moving squadron leaders to offices on Butts Army Airfield where the helicopters are kept. Since the unit arrived, commanders have been working about 6 miles north of the airfield, near Fort Carson's other headquarters.

Douthit and the other commanders work out of an old medical clinic at Butts. "As a commander, you want to be where the training or action occurs," he said.

The Safety Center team proposed adding higher-level warrant officers, who will bring more experience to the unit.

Team members found the squadron should have a larger budget and should build more facilities at Butts, such as a larger maintenance hangar. They suggested providing services such as barbershops to reduce soldiers' trips to the main part of Fort Carson, which Douthit said would allow them to concentrate more on missions.

More resources make sense, Douthit said, because it is the largest tactical unit of its type in the Army.

But because it has been at Fort Carson, it hasn't had the facilities, personnel or budget of similar-sized units.

The squadron has more than 60 helicopters, including attack Apaches, scout Kiowas and all-purpose Black Hawks, he said. A reserve unit flies heavy-lift Chinook helicopters out of Fort Carson.

But the unit's size is no excuse for crashes, Douthit said.

"You don't want to hide behind that and say that's the reason. ... There's never a good excuse for an accident," he said. "What we want to do is have no accidents. That's the goal."

Gazette

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2002