ARLINGTON, Va. – We are aware of the aviation report that occurred on the evening of March 24 involving a California Army National Guard UH-60 helicopter in Southern California. We can confirm that an Army National Guard helicopter, based at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos, was conducting a routine training mission and returning to its airfield at the time of the report.
The California Army National Guard flight crew was operating under the positive control of air traffic control and followed all instructions. Critically, our pilots established and maintained visual separation with the other aircraft.
Both aircraft continued on their respective flight paths and landed safely.
The Army National Guard is confident that our highly trained pilots operated with the utmost professionalism and in accordance with all aviation safety regulations.
A thorough review of this event is being conducted in close coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. To protect the integrity of the official investigative process, all further inquiries will be directed to the FAA.
For questions regarding this statement, please contact the California Army National Guard Public Affairs Team at: mediaffairs@cmd.ca.gov.