The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has given a new purpose to the wreckage of a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, known as the “Huey,” which crashed during a training exercise in 2023.
The iconic aircraft was transported to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, where it will serve as a practical platform for crash investigation and flight safety courses.
The helicopter went down during a training mission at the Wyoming Air National Guard Base in Cheyenne, and all three crew members survived. Now, through a joint effort among multiple Air Force commands, the fuselage has been repurposed as a training tool by the 436th Training Squadron (TRS).
“The UH-1 will enable 100% hands-on training and experience for AMIC students, Life Science Equipment Investigation, Weapons, and Occupational Safety,” said Captain Matthew Greene, flight safety commander of the 436th TRS.
A rescue and training mission
On September 17, 2025, before dawn, four public affairs specialists from the 7th Bomb Wing and the 436th TRS joined the crew of a C-130J Hercules from the 39th Airlift Squadron to recover the UH-1 wreckage in Wyoming and transport it to its new home in Texas.
The operation required weeks of planning and coordination between the Air Force Global Strike Command, the Air Combat Command, and the Air Mobility Command, along with the 153rd Airlift Wing of the Wyoming Air National Guard and the 317th Airlift Wing based at Dyess.
According to Greene, the decision to recover the actual aircraft instead of using mock-ups aimed to provide the most realistic training possible: “The Flight Safety cadre wanted all labs to be in person to ensure excellent hands-on instruction.”
Technical details and logistics
Weighing approximately 2.5 tons, the aircraft was carefully prepared for transport by the 153rd Logistics Readiness Squadron. Captain Shannon Hunter, chief of tactics for the 39th Squadron, led the mission planning.
“The C-130J we used has a maximum takeoff weight of 175,000 pounds and a basic operating weight of 89,000 pounds, with 42,000 pounds of fuel,” Hunter explained. “From a training perspective, everything went perfectly, and we were also able to conduct high-pressure altitude flight practice.”
The mission also served as a practical exercise for new loadmasters. Senior Airman Cory McCloskey used the operation to train a new student in handling live cargo:
“It was extremely rewarding. Working with other units on this recovery was fascinating — a real opportunity for collaboration and shared learning.”
From crashed aircraft to educational tool
The recovered helicopter will now be used in the Aircraft Mishap Investigation Course (AMIC), where students learn to examine wreckage, identify failures, and determine accident causes. Having been involved in a real incident, the “Huey” offers a unique learning opportunity based on real-world conditions.
In addition, the 436th TRS Instructional Production Flight coordinated full documentation of the operation, which will be used as multimedia material for future training. Sergeant Jon Alderman of the 153rd Airlift Wing documented the early stages of the mission, capturing the process of transforming the helicopter “from a forgotten aircraft into an invaluable training asset.”
By opting to reuse actual wreckage instead of simulations, the Air Force aims to better prepare future investigators and safety specialists to handle the complexities of real-world accidents — from evidence collection to the drafting of detailed technical reports.
Source and images: U.S. Air Force, 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
