An investigation is underway involving eight Apache helicopter pilots who flew during this year’s Salute from the Shore event on July 4th. The military aircraft flew along the coast of South Carolina from Cherry Grove all the way to Beaufort & Hilton Head, and this year’s event featured Apache helicopters for the very first time.
The pilots are part of the South Carolina Army National Guard, Alpha Company. New reports claim that soon after landing, all eight received a message saying they were suspended.
No specific reason for why they are being investigated has been announced.
Maj. Lisa Allen with the National Guard confirmed the pilots are suspended from flying operations while an internal investigation looks into their performance during Saturday’s flyover.
Allen says the investigation is examining any possible safety violations that may have occurred.
Thursday morning, Maj. Allen released the following statement: “I can confirm that the SCARNG is currently reviewing the flight profile of the Apache helicopters that participated in the event. As is routine, the pilots involved in the flight have been temporarily suspended from flight duties pending the outcome of this review. Please note that this suspension applies only to flight operations; the pilots continue to report for their regular daily duties in a non-flying capacity.”
“In accordance with standard military policy, and to protect the integrity of the ongoing review, we cannot provide further details or speculate on specific allegations—including questions regarding flight altitude or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.”
“The safety of our personnel and the communities we fly over remains our top priority, and we take all reports regarding flight safety seriously.”
Regulations say that the Apache helicopters should fly no less than 500 feet above the ground, and these may have flown much lower over South Carolina beaches during the annual July 4th patriotic event.
This year’s event on Saturday, July 4th, featured F-16s with the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing out of McEntire, a C-17 from the 437th Airlift Wing based at Joint Base Charleston and the flight of Apache helicopters in formation from the South Carolina Army National Guard’s Alpha Company, 1-151st Attack Battalion also out of McEntire Joint Base.
The active military aircraft were then followed with a flyover from an all-volunteer brigade of Warbirds, a civilian-owned and flown vintage plane community that included T-34s, T-6s, and T-28s.
