Army helicopter strikes Griffiss control tower, injuring one

ROME, N.Y. — One crew member was treated and released after an Army Blackhawk helicopter clipped the control tower at Griffiss International Airport late Thursday.

The helicopter was on a training mission from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to Fort Drum when it landed at Griffiss to refuel around 11 p.m.

“While taxiing toward the refueling point with a ground guide, the aircraft main rotor blades made contact with the air traffic control tower. The pilot-in-command executed an emergency shutdown,” said Fort Drum spokesperson Julie Halpin.

The four crew members, from Co. 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, were able to get out of the helicopter on their own, she said.

One soldier, who suffered “a minor muscular injury,” was taken to a local hospital and has since been released. The crew returned to Fort Drum in ground transportation, Halpin said.

She thanked local emergency crews that responded to the scene.

Photos of the craft show extensive damage to the helicopter’s rotors.

The Army is investigating the incident.