By Hacer Baser

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

A military helicopter crashed Thursday while conducting a routine training exercise in Saudi Arabia’s Khashm al-Aan airfield, leaving an American trainer dead.

According to the Saudi National Guard, U.S. pilot trainer Paul Reedy was killed instantly when the Boeing AH-6 military chopper crashed abruptly for as-yet-unknown reasons.

Saudi pilot-in-training Haitham bin Abdulaziz is reportedly in stable condition after having survived the crash.

An investigation has since been launched with a view to determining the cause of the accident.