Perfect Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday ordered the formal investigation into the crash landing of a Sikorsky UH-60 Dark Hawk in Songkhla yesterday which left seven people aboard injured, including the fourth Army Region leader.
In his capacity as protection minister, Gen Prayut requested the übung and expressed their concerns over the wellness of the seven wounded military officials while also ordering specific care for them, mentioned Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence.
The helicopter reportedly encountered a good engine problem whilst flying over tambon Wang Yai in Thepha district associated with Songkhla, forcing the pilot to make an urgent situation crash landing within a rubber plantation in Ban Khlong Yon village, according to Style Santipong Thampiya, the spokesman for the Regal Thai Army.
The 7 people on board, namely Lt Gen Kriangkrai Srirak — commander of the 4th Army Region — 2 pilots, two technicians, a cameraman and an aide-de-camp, had been rescued shortly after the crash and hurried to a nearby medical center, said Col Pramote Prom-in, a fourth Army Corps spokesman.
Luxury touring Gen Kriangkrai sustained a broken pelvis and suffered several internal bleeding whilst his aide-de-camp has a broken arm and broken jaw and the others were somewhat injured, said a source.
The particular seven were initial rushed to Thepha Hospital, the district hospital closest towards the crash site, before Lt Gen Kriangkrai was later transferred to Songklanagarind Hospital in Songkhla, said the same source.
The 4th Military commander, who was with an official trip to inspect border provinces, still left Sena Narong military camp in Hat Yai district associated with Songkhla in the helicopter heading to Sirindhorn camp in Pattani’s Yarang district and Inkhayutthaborihan camp in Nong Chik district from the same province, said Col Pramote.
The Dark Hawk that crash-landed yesterday had been operating for 17 many years and was from an army squadron that originally had 16 Black Hawks, said another source, incorporating one had already been lost in a previous crash.
Following yesterday’s occurrence, the squadron right now has 14 helicopters, while four out of nine refurbished Black Hawks in a brand new procurement are expected to reach sometime next year, said the same source.
Back in 2005, each of the Black Hawks, supplied by Sikorsky Aircraft, an American aircraft producer based in Stratford, Connecticut, cost 500 mil baht, said the source.