Thanks to the skilled pilot, the helicopter avoided any cars and tilted only two lampposts with its rotor, which caused minor damage to motor vehicles. No one was injured during the incident.
Traffic was diverted from the site – The Monument to the Aircraft – and the Romanian Ministry of Defense canceled the planned flying parade segment of the festive program.
Major Matthew St. Clair, a representative of the American armed forces, said that the Black Hawk helicopter that forcibly landed on Thursday, July 15, in Charles de Gaulle Square in Bucharest, will be transported to the “Mihail Kogălniceanu” military base near the Black Sea port of Constanta, and the American side will not ” speculate” until after the completion of an investigation.
“The UH-60 helicopter was lifted from the area where it landed and was transported to a nearby hangar yesterday (Thursday), with the support of the Romanian authorities. The aircraft will be returned to the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Aviation Regiment.
“We are grateful for the support that the Romanian Government and the local authorities have given for securing the space where the incident took place and for the smooth recovery of the aircraft,” the American officer stated.
He reiterated that the forced landing is the subject of an ongoing investigation, which is being “carried out jointly by the Romanian and American Governments”.
“We will not speculate on the cause (incident) until the investigation is completed,” added Matthew St. Clair.
Title image: The crew of a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter in downtown Budapest after a forced landing. (source: digi24.ro)
