Helicopter crash at military base kills 1 and injures another, county coroner says

FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. -- A helicopter crash at a military base in Alabama on Wednesday afternoon killed one person and injured another, military officials said.

An AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during routine flight training on Fort Novosel Army base, about 94 miles (151 kilometers) south of Montgomery, according to a statement from the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel.

The crash killed the flight instructor, while a US. Army student pilot was airlifted to a hospital for additional evaluation, according to the statement.

Dale County Coroner John Cawley identified the deceased instructor pilot as Daniel Munger, 46, who was a contractor and retired from the Army.

Military authorities did not immediately provide any information about the circumstances of the crash. The statement said the accident is under investigation.

“Our primary concern is the welfare and health of the student pilot and care and concern for the family of the deceased,” Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel commanding general, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

The AH-64 Apache is a two-crewmember aircraft.

Fort Novosel was previously known as Fort Rucker. It is the Army’s primary training facility for helicopter pilots.