An army Black Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing in Taichung City on Monday morning due to a mechanical problem. Defense ministry spokesman David Lo said the pilot is safe and the military has sent experts to check on the issue.
“This morning, a Black Hawk helicopter from the Army Aviation and Special Forces Command’s 602 Brigade was carrying out a routine training mission. An aircraft warning light went off indicating [the possible detection of metal debris within in the aircraft’s system]. The pilot followed the standard safety procedures and landed at around 11:10 am, in Taichung City’s Nantun District," said Lo, "Thanks to the pilot’s appropriate handling of the incident, both he and the chopper are safe. As for the reason behind the warning light, the 602 Brigade has sent technicians to the landing location to find out more. If their investigation reveals no further issues, the helicopter will be cleared to return to base.”
The Special Force Command says that at the time of the incident, the Black Hawk was being piloted by technical support personnel from the US Army.
The military has since updated the emergency landing time as 11:30 am.