South Korea: Two killed as military helicopter crashes during training

Training turned into tragedy after an incident took two lives during daily routine army exercise.

South Korean media reported a sad incident when an army helicopter crashed, killing both crew members on board.

The military personnel informed that the Army AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter crashed on Monday February 9,2026 during a training flight in the northern county of Gapyeongk, killing both crew members on board.

As informed the helicopter went down shortly in the morning but the details or reason for the crash is unclear.

Incident response:

While crew members involved in the crash were evacuated to nearby hospitals, but were later pronounced dead.

In relation to that army has suspended operations of all AH-1S helicopters following the incident and set up an emergency response team to investigate the cause of the crash.

Army officials said the training involved practicing emergency landing procedures without shutting down the engine and the accident happened during a scheduled training flight, shocking the military and the public, as such drills are meant to prepare soldiers safely, not cost lives.

The crash did not cause harm to civilians or nearby property.

Also, the helicopter involved, was an attack model commonly used by the South Korean army for training purposes.

Furthermore, early information suggests there was no explosion or fire at the site, which has raised questions about what exactly went wrong in the air.

In response, the South Korea has temporarily grounded helicopters of the same make or model and an investigation team has also been formed to carefully examine all possible reasons, including technical failure or human error.

Additionally, the incident has highlighted the risks faced by soldiers even outside combat situations as training exercises are essential for readiness, but they can still be dangerous, especially when aircraft are involved.

Witnesses and nearby people across the country passes their condolences to the victim families as they expressed their grieve over sad tragedy.