An AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter of the South Korean Army crashed during a training flight on the morning of Monday, February 9, 2026, resulting in the deaths of both crew members on board.
The accident occurred in Gapyeong County, about 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to information released by the Yonhap news agency.
The aircraft belonged to the 15th Aviation Unit of the Republic of Korea Army. The helicopter took off at 9:45 a.m. (local time) and crashed at around 11:04 a.m. near the village of Hyeong-ri, in the municipality of Jeongok. Rescue teams found the wreckage in a stream approximately 800 meters from the military base.
According to authorities, the crash did not cause a fire or explosion. The two pilots sustained severe injuries and were transported in critical condition to nearby hospitals, but did not survive. Both held the rank of “chonwi” (junior officer). Their names were not released, and the military command is preparing the documentation to grant them official status as having died in the line of duty.
Preliminary information indicates that, at the time of the accident, the crew was conducting an emergency landing exercise simulating a technical failure without shutting down the engine. The helicopter was not carrying external munitions, which helped prevent casualties or damage among the civilian population on the ground.
South Korea’s Minister of National Defense, who is currently on an official trip abroad, ordered the mobilization of all available resources to determine the causes of the accident. The Army immediately suspended operations of the entire AH-1S Cobra fleet until the investigation led by the Central Aviation Accident Investigation Commission is completed.
Investigators plan to recover and analyze onboard system data, check the aircraft’s technical condition, and assess possible influences of weather factors. External specialists will also take part in the investigation.
The crashed AH-1S entered service in the early 1990s and had accumulated around 4,500 flight hours. The South Korean Army considers the Cobra fleet obsolete, as the first aircraft began operating in the country in the late 1980s. Over the years, flights of this model have been repeatedly restricted due to technical incidents.
Currently, Seoul is implementing a program to gradually replace the U.S.-built AH-1S with new domestically developed LAH (Light Armed Helicopter) attack helicopters. Despite this, a significant portion of the older fleet remains in service.
+ Video: Russia receives Su-57 aircraft with modernized onboard systems and weapons
Source and images: Yonhap | Flickr – Republic of Korea Armed Forces. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
