FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. — Army investigators spent Wednesday climbing through dense foliage, gathering evidence and pieces of the UH-60 Black Hawk that crashed in South Carolina.

Fort Bragg officials said the helicopters were flying in acceptable weather conditions and had flown the same route on a number of occasions.

It was the second time in about a year that a Fort Bragg Black Hawk helicopter has had trouble in South Carolina. Last March, a Black Hawk helicopter clipped a pole while taxiing on the runway at the Charleston Airport. None of the soldiers were injured.

It has been nearly seven years since a Black Hawk helicopter from Fort Bragg has been involved in a fatal crash in the United States. Eight soldiers died during a training mission when a rotor blade hit a tree during a steep turn. Army investigators blamed the crash on human error.

That crash led to change. Investigators ruled the crew could have survived if the chopper's external fuel tanks had not exploded. Now, the Army limits training with the full external fuel tanks.

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Jason Stoogenke

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Michelle Singer