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

FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. (AP) — A helicopter crash at a military base in Alabama on Wednesday afternoon killed one person and injured another, the local county coroner who was called to the scene said.

An AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed during routine flight training on Fort Novosel Army base, about 94 miles (151 kilometers) south of Montgomery, Dale County Coroner John Cawley said. The crash killed a flight instructor who was operating the helicopter. There was only one other passenger, a student, who was being treated for minor injuries at a hospital.

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.

“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 to news outlets.

The statement said the accident is under investigation.

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