How US soldiers tear Black Hawk helicopters apart and put them back together to keep them flying

US soldiers deployed to Kosovo started a phase maintenance inspection for one of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters on November 18.

Soldiers conduct those inspections every 480 flight hours, taking the helicopter apart and reassembling them to ensure they continue to function properly and safely.

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Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo – Across the US military last year, there were 18 known crashes involving UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. That makes routine maintenance and inspection a vital part of ensuring the safety and security of our military's soldiers and equipment.

Soldiers from Delta Company, 1-171st Aviation Regiment, the maintenance company for Task Force Aviation on Camp Bondsteel, began a phase maintenance inspection for one of their UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters on November 18 in the aviation motor pool.

According to Army Techniques Publication 3-4.7, a phase maintenance inspection is a thorough and searching examination of the aircraft and associated equipment. The maintenance should be conducted every 320 flight hours in a UH-60's lifespan. More recently updated literature has changed the requirement to 480 flight hours.