The military says it has stopped its fleet of Chinook cargo helicopters after an engine fire caused a fuel leak
The military says it has stopped its fleet of Chinook cargo helicopters after an engine fire caused a fuel leak
The US military said Tuesday it has grounded its fleet of about 400 Chinook cargo helicopters after a “small number” of engines caught fire due to a fuel leak.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the military had identified the cause of the leak and was working to resolve the issue. Ms Smith said some planes may not need to be fixed so they may be able to fly soon.
The fleet was grounded during the last weekend. Ms Smith said there were no casualties or deaths from the fire, but the military took extreme precautions to temporarily halt the fleet.
The Chinook is the Army’s flagship heavy-lift helicopter, used to transport troops and equipment, and was a familiar sight in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.