2 soldiers injured in military helicopter crash in Alaska

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Two soldiers were injured when a military helicopter was involved in a rollover accident in Talkeetna, officials said Monday.

The soldiers were taken to area hospitals, where they were treated and released, the U.S. Army said in a statement.

The Army AH-64D Apache helicopter was damaged in the Sunday accident, which occurred when the helicopter was taking off. A determination should be made later this week if the helicopter can be salvaged, spokesperson John Pennell said in an email.

Other details of the crash were not immediately available, but the cause will be addressed in a post-accident investigation by the Army Combat Readiness Center, Pennell said. That investigative team is expected to arrive later this week.

The Apache was one of four from the 25th Attack Battalion at Fort Wainwright, which is near Fairbanks, traveling to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage for training. The four helicopters stopped in Talkeetna to refuel.

Talkeetna is located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Anchorage.