Overview
- Video from Monday night shows fireworks launching while a four-ship UH-60M Black Hawk formation was still over Lumen Field and exploding alarmingly close to the final helicopter.
- Lt. Col. Cynthia Holuta of Joint Base Lewis-McChord told local media that no aircraft were struck, no damage was reported, and no crew members were injured.
- The helicopters were identified as four UH-60M Black Hawks from the Army’s 2-158th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, and they completed the scheduled flyover.
- About 70,000 spectators reacted with audible gasps as the footage circulated widely on social media and raised immediate questions about how stadium pyrotechnics were timed and controlled.
- Experts noted UH-60Ms can tolerate brief exposure to sparks but hot debris can harm external components, and there has been no public announcement of a formal investigation or changes to coordination protocols.