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The U.S. Army said it would ground aviation units after multiple fatal helicopter crashes killed more than a dozen soldiers this year.

The move means all Army pilots, except those conducting critical missions, must stand down until they complete safety training. “During this stand down, we will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure our pilots and crews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission,” said Gen. James C. McConville, the Army chief of staff.

Three Army helicopter pilots were killed after two Apaches collided midair in central Alaska while returning from a training mission this week. Less than a month ago, an aviation incident in Kentucky killed 9 soldiers. In February, two died after a crash in Alabama.

“We are deeply saddened by those we have lost,” said McConville, an Army aviator qualified to fly an Apache. “It is their loss that makes it all the more important we review our safety procedures and training protocols, and ensure we are training and operating at the highest levels of safety and proficiency.”

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The Apache helicopters that crashed in Alaska are from the 11th Airborne Division’s 25th Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright. They crashed Thursday near Healy, Alaska, about 80 miles southwest of Fairbanks. Three of the four people in the helicopters were killed, said Capt. Molly Treece, an Army spokeswoman. The survivor was taken to a hospital, Treece said.

Two of the pilots were declared dead at the crash site, the Army said in a news release, and the third died en route to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The fourth soldier was being treated at Fairbanks Memorial for injuries.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. A team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Novosel will investigate the accident, according to the statement.

“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, the 11th Airborne Division commander, said in the statement. “Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.”

The crash is at least the second involving Apache helicopters in Alaska this year. In February, two soldiers were injured when their Apache crashed at Talkeetna Airport, in southern Alaska.

Last month, nine soldiers died when two Army Black Hawk helicopters collided in Kentucky. A month earlier, a Tennessee National Guard Black Hawk chopper crashed, killing two.

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