The North Carolina National Guard confirmed on Tuesday that one of its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had inadvertently disrupted a hurricane relief distribution point in western North Carolina while delivering generators at the request of a local civilian organization.
“While attempting to land, rotor wash caused items to blow away from the local distribution set up by a group of civilians in the area,” the North Carolina National Guard posted on X. “The crew immediately identified the situation, aborted the landing for safety reasons, and departed the area.”
The helicopter, with the call sign Fury 147, was flying on Sunday from Asheville to Morganton, North Carolina at the time of the incident, according to Flightradar24, an online flight tracker.
A video widely shared on social media shows the helicopter flying low over the distribution site in western North Carolina on Sunday, causing tarps and other items to fly into the air.
“This incident is currently under investigation and the crew has been grounded until the investigation is complete,” the North Carolina National Guard announced on Tuesday. “The NCNG is working with the identified local civilian organization to assess the level of damage caused by the rotor wash.”
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The video of the incident comes amid widespread disinformation that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has blocked relief supplies from reaching people who live in areas of North Carolina that are still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
Some of the comments on social media in response to the video echoed conspiracy theories about the U.S. government’s alleged attempts to interfere with hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina.
“Safety is the NCNG’s number one priority, especially with the high volume of air operations currently happening across the region,” the North Carolina National Guard posted on X. “While the NCNG strives for precision in every mission, sometimes things don’t go as planned. When that happens, the NCNG takes it very seriously and are committed to addressing and correcting any issues to prevent future occurrences.”