Engine shutdown caused fatal Army helicopter crash in Feb.: military

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SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- A sudden engine failure has been identified as the main cause behind the deadly crash of a military helicopter in February that killed two soldiers, Army officials said Thursday.

The AH-1S Cobra helicopter of an Army aviation unit crashed during an emergency landing familiarization training in Gapyeong County, about 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Feb. 9, killing the two warrant officers on board. No civilian damage was reported.

The military had since been investigating to determine the exact cause of the crash.

According to official findings, an internal cylinder in the helicopter engine was slightly misaligned, causing the engine's central drive shaft to wobble as it turned.

The wobble caused violent vibrations, and the spinning shaft began whipping around widely like a jumping rope, known as "shaft whirling," the Army said.

Military authorities cordon off the scene where an Army Cobra attack helicopter crashed in Gapyeong County, about 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Feb. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)

When the pilot pushed the throttle back up to climb, the spinning power shaft slammed into a second spinning shaft, instantly generating extreme heat that melted the components, ultimately shutting down the engine.

"We have concluded that the cause of the accident was a physical factor -- an engine flameout resulting from a fault in the internal cylinder in the aircraft engine's exhaust diffuser, rather than environmental or human errors," an Army official said in a press briefing.

The Army said it plans to consult with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to consider accelerating the helicopter's retirement. Retirement for the crashed AH-1S, first introduced in 1988 and deployed in 1991, was planned to begin in 2028.

"We will also work closely with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to adjust the operational deployment plan for its replacement, the LAH-1 Miron, to ensure its stable fielding," it said.

To strengthen oversight, the Army said it will transfer aviation safety management functions and personnel from the Army Aviation Command to the Army Headquarters Combat Readiness and Safety Group by April next year.

"For airfields operating both helicopters and drones, we will improve the safety management system by transitioning from individual checks to an integrated inspection for manned and unmanned platforms," the Army said.

elly@yna.co.kr (END)

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Engine shutdown caused fatal Army helicopter crash in Feb.: military

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首尔，9月10日（韩联社）——陆军官员周四表示，2月份一架军用直升机坠毁造成两名士兵死亡，事故的主要原因是发动机突然发生故障。

2月9日，一架隶属于陆军航空兵部队的AH-1S“眼镜蛇”直升机在首尔东北约55公里处的加平郡进行紧急着陆训练时坠毁，机上两名准尉遇难。事故未造成平民伤亡。

此后，军方一直在调查以确定坠机的确切原因。

根据官方调查结果，直升机发动机内部的一个气缸略微错位，导致发动机的中央驱动轴在转动时发生晃动。

陆军方面表示，这种晃动引起了剧烈的振动，旋转的轴开始像跳绳一样大幅度地甩动，这种现象被称为“轴旋转”。

2026年2月9日，一架陆军眼镜蛇攻击直升机在首尔东北约55公里处的加平郡坠毁，军方封锁了现场。（韩联社）

当飞行员将油门推回爬升时，旋转的动力轴猛烈撞击到第二个旋转的轴上，瞬间产生极高的温度，熔化了部件，最终导致发动机熄火。

一位陆军官员在新闻发布会上表示：“我们已经得出结论，事故原因是物理因素——飞机发动机排气扩散器内部气缸故障导致发动机熄火，而不是环境或人为错误。”

陆军表示，计划与参谋长联席会议磋商，考虑加快该型直升机的退役进程。坠毁的AH-1S直升机于1988年首次服役，1991年正式部署，原计划于2028年开始退役。

“我们还将与国防采办计划管理局密切合作，调整其替代机型 LAH-1 Miron 的作战部署计划，以确保其稳定部署，”声明中写道。

为了加强监管，陆军表示，将于明年4月之前将航空安全管理职能和人员从陆军航空司令部转移到陆军总部作战准备和安全组。

“对于同时运营直升机和无人机的机场，我们将改进安全管理体系，从单独检查过渡到对有人和无人平台进行综合检查，”陆军表示。

elly@yna.co.kr（完）

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2月份，一架陆军直升机因发动机故障坠毁，造成人员死亡：军方