by Patrick Tolbert
COLLEGE STATION - An Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed Monday afternoon on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station Monday, killing one and leaving five others injured.
According to University officials, an Army National Guard helicopter "fell abruptly to the ground" in an open field adjacent to Duncan Dining Hall.
LATEST UPDATE:
- One dead
- Five injured
- One A&M student injured from flying debris
- Throckmorton and Coke Streets closed between Lewis and George Bush Drive
The helicopter was carrying five people, four Army National Guard members and a newly commissioned Army officer who was first thought to be a member of the ROTC Staff at Texas A&M.
Three patients were taken to The College Station Medical Center where all three are in critical condition. One of those patients later died. Two patients were transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in Bryan where their condition is unknown.
A sixth person was taken to the College Station Medical Center about an hour after the crash. That person is not being identified, but is listed in good condition after being injured by flying debris on the ground.
Witnesses report seeing five helicopters, one of which was flying about 200 feet off the ground. The same helicopter is the one believed to have gone down.
A second witness told KRHD that the tail rotor appeared to break, causing the helicopter to spin freely in the air before crashing to the ground.
The helicopter, along with 190 cadets in the university's Corps of Cadets, were participating in the ROTC Winter Field Training Exercises taking place at the university. Camp Mabry officials confirmed the chopper was part of the Texas Army National Guard based there.
