National Guard Gunship Puts Down in Chapel Hill Field

An Army National Guard attack helicopter made an unplanned landing in a farm field near Chapel Hill on Tuesday after the two-man crew got an instrument indication  they should put down, a National Guard spokesman said.

The AH-64 Apache helicopter based at Raleigh-Durham International Airport is part of the 1st Battalion of the 130th Attack Helicopter Regiment. The Apache is a weapon-carrying helicopter designed to support ground troops.

The incident happened about 5:30, the spokesman said. There were no injuries or damage, he said.

A maintenance crew went to the scene to determine if the helicopter could take off and fly back to RDU or would have to be loaded onto a truck and hauled back to the Guard hangar.