Anchorage, Alaska, 29 April 2023 (tca/dpa/MIA) - The US Army on Friday ordered a halt to all non-essential training flights following the crash of two Apache helicopters in interior Alaska after the military aircraft collided while returning from a training mission.

Both AH-64 Apache helicopters had two soldiers on board, army officials said.

The daytime crash killed three soldiers and injured one. That soldier was in stable condition at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Friday, a US Army Alaska spokesman said. The identities of the soldiers have not been released.

Two of the soldiers were declared dead at the scene; a third died while being taken to a Fairbanks hospital, army officials said.

The crash marked the second fatal training incident in Army helicopters since March. Nine soldiers were killed in the US state of Kentucky that month when two Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed while conducting a nighttime training exercise.

Army Chief of Staff James McConville on Friday ordered a “stand down” that grounds all army aviators, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete a required training, according to a statement issued by the Department of the Army.

“The safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel,” McConville said in the statement. “During this stand down, we will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure our pilots and crews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what may have caused the crash in Alaska, which is being investigated by a team from the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Novosel in Alabama, officials say.

The battalion involved in the crash was not flying Friday to allow members to cope with the aftermath, according to John Pennell, a spokesman for US Army Alaska.

“Unit leadership is meeting with all of its its personnel and their families at Fort Wainwright,” Pennell said. “They’re kind of beginning the grieving process and ... explaining what resources are available to the families going forward.”

The investigation that’s just getting underway is expected to provide more details about the circumstances surrounding the crash, he said.