AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopter Crash in South Korea Kills Crew

An AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter crashed during a training flight in South Korea. The crash killed both crew members.

This was reported by Yonhap.

The crash occurred on Liutyi 9, 2026, in Gapyeong County, 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul. The aircraft belonged to the 15th Aviation Brigade of the Republic of Korea Army.

The aircraft took off at 9:45 a.m. local time and crashed at 11:04 a.m. near the village of Hyun-ri in the municipality of Cheongwon.

Rescuers found debris in a stream 800 meters from the military unit’s location. The crash did not cause a fire or explosion, but the pilots suffered fatal injuries.

Medics transported the victims to the nearest hospitals in critical condition, but were unable to save the servicemen.

Both victims held the rank of “jeonwi” (warrant officer). The command is currently withholding their names, but is preparing documents to grant them official status as having died in the line of duty.

During the fatal flight, the crew was practicing an emergency landing in conditions simulating a technical malfunction without turning off the engine. At the time of the incident, the helicopter was not carrying any ammunition, which prevented casualties and damage to the civilian population.

The Minister of Defense, who is currently on a foreign business trip, has already ordered the mobilization of all resources to investigate the causes of the incident.

The army leadership immediately suspended the operation of the entire AH-1S Cobra fleet until the Central Commission for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents completes its work.

Experts plan to retrieve and analyze the flight data recorders, check the technical condition of the aircraft, and study the impact of weather factors. External experts will also be involved in the investigation.

This aircraft entered service with the army in the early 1990s and had flown about 4,500 hours. The army considers South Korea’s Cobra fleet to be obsolete, as the country began operating the first aircraft of this type in the late 1980s.

The military has repeatedly restricted flights of this model due to technical incidents. Seoul is currently implementing a program to gradually replace American AH-1S helicopters with new Korean LAH (Light Armed Helicopter) light attack helicopters, but a significant portion of the old aircraft are still in service.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that a P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft belonging to the country’s naval forces crashed in South Korea.