The two soldiers aboard, who are OK, were trying to make it back to Fort Ritchie, but chose the cornfield instead.
Credit: Susan Nicol – Firehouse.com
A Black Hawk helicopter experiencing a mechanical issue landed in a cornfield near Cascade Thursday afternoon.
Both soldiers aboard are OK, according to Washington County MD Fire Calls officials.
The crew was attempting to get back to Fort Ritchie to land, but chose a cornfield about three miles away.
Washington County, MD and Franklin County, PA fire and rescue personnel were dispatched to assist with the incident.
An engine from Smithsburg needed assistance after getting stuck in the muddy field.
Fort Ritchie, about four miles from Camp David, was once a training site for the U.S. Army and Maryland National Guard as well as a home to prisoners-of-war camps during World War II. It was closed in 1998.
The emergency landing Thursday came eight days after a Black Hawk helicopter and a regional jet collided above a runway at Reagan National Airport, killing 67.