Two Black Hawk helicopters crash in US state of Utah

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in a training accident Tuesday in U.S. state of Utah, authorities said.

Utah National Guard confirmed in a tweet that two of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were involved in a training accident around 9:30 a.m. local time near the Mineral Basin in the state.

"No crew members were injured in the accident. Both UH-60s were damaged," Utah National Guard tweeted.

File photo: AFP

Local news outlets reported that the helicopters crashed near a ski resort, which is located about 47 kilometers from Salt Lake City, the capital city of Utah.

Officials were quoted by KTVX, an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Salt Lake City, as saying that the crash happened during a routine training exercise that prepped aircrews for dusty, mountainous and at times "white-out" flying conditions.

When the first helicopter landed, it kicked up tons of snow and dislodged its main blade during the impact. The dislodged blade then struck the second helicopter nearby, causing it to crash as well, reported the news outlet, citing officials.

Utah National Guard officials said the incident is under investigation.