Army probe of copter crash that killed Hubbard man may take months

HONOLULU (AP) — Army officials say the investigation into the cause of the fatal helicopter crash at Wheeler Army Airfield may take months to complete.

A six-man team from the Army Combat Readiness and Safety Center is investigating the May 27 crash of an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter, which killed Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stanley Blane Hepfner of Hubbard, Ohio, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Bryce Millward of Chubbuck, Idaho.

Jennifer Albert, a spokeswoman for the Army Safety Center in Fort Rucker, Ala., says there’s no indication how long it will take to determine why the two-man helicopter crashed.

The inspection team arrived May 29 from Fort Rucker. The frame of the helicopter has been taken to a Wheeler Army Airfield hangar.