Black Hawk helicopter airlifted from crash-landing site in Colorado

Military vehicles are gathering in a remote Gilpin County meadow as crews prepare for a Thursday recovery mission involving a Black Hawk helicopter that went down in the area last week.

The U.S. Army said the aircraft was involved in an “aviation mishap” on Aug. 25, and described the incident as a “hard landing.” The military has not released additional details about what caused the crash.

Residents near the crash site have been dealing with an increased military presence, temporary road closures and limited information about the operation.

“It’s been interesting, to say the least,” said neighbor Jessica Gregg.

Gregg lives just a few hundred feet from where the helicopter went down, and hasn’t been able to verify whether it’s on her property or neighboring U.S. Forest Service land.

“The number of times I've heard ‘this is classified’ this week, I would never have expected back here on my little quiet property,” Gregg said.

She said she has struggled to understand where she is allowed to go and when she needs to stay away.

“I don't know where I'm allowed to be and not allowed to be," Gregg said. "They haven't given me a map or told me times and dates to avoid things specific to my individual property."

Gregg said neighbors have largely relied on each other to share information about what is happening.

“The neighborhood seems like we're getting most of the information from each other and it shouldn't be like that,” she said. “I really think that the officials need to be more transparent and clear with all of us.”

Over the weekend, Gregg said she finally received a letter from the Gilpin County Sheriff's Office with a schedule for Thursday's recovery operation.

That plan calls for helicopters to lift the Blackhawk helicopter off the ground and transport it to a nearby meadow where it will be placed onto a flatbed truck and driven back toward Denver.

Residents in the immediate area should expect increased military and helicopter activity, according to the Army. Temporary traffic impacts are also expected as the military works with the Gilpin County Sheriff's Office and local emergency services.

The Army is asking residents and motorists to avoid the immediate recovery area, not stop along roads to watch the operation and follow temporary traffic-control directions from local authorities.

Gregg said she understands the military is trying to safely remove the aircraft, but she believes communication with nearby property owners could have been better.

“I'm appreciative of the military and they're trying very, very hard to get this cleaned up as quick as possible,” Gregg said. “It's still been very, very hard to get communication and clarity from them.”

The military presence has been an unusual experience for Gregg and her neighbors.

“Having an elite squad known as the Night Stalkers sleeping on your property or adjacent to your property is a little bit intimidating at times,” she said.

Gregg said she hopes the recovery operation will mark the end of the disruption.

“I'll just be glad for everyone's sake, including the military, that this is going to hopefully mostly be over with on Friday,” she said. “We'll see how that goes.”