Baton Rouge police helicopter crashes
An R-44 helicopter operated by the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) crashed near US Highway 190 on 26 March
The aircraft took off at around 02:00 hrs local time to assist in a pursuit, and a search was launched after its disappearance was noticed several hours later. The wreckage was found at around 11:00 hrs the same morning.
The helicopter crashed in a sugar cane field near the Highway 190. Both of the two police officers were killed during the crash.
In a statement, BRPD said that the incident was being ‘investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies, as well other entities that regulate aviation’. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the crash investigation.
BRPD also said that it ‘extends [its] deepest sympathy to the families, friends, and all those touched by these officers’ lives and service’.
A UH-60 Black Hawk operated by the Tennessee National Guard also crashed near Huntsville, Alabama, on 15 February.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.