TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — The Army has launched the names of 4 troopers killed Wednesday when the army helicopter they have been on crashed close to a base in Washington state.
The victims are chief warrant officers Andrew Cully and Andrew Kraus, and sergeants Donavon Scott and Jadalyn Good, the Army stated Monday in a launch.
Cully, 35, was from Sparta, Missouri. Kraus, 39, was from Sanibel, Florida. Scott, 25, was from Tacoma, Washington, and Good, 23, was from Mount Vernon, Washington.
The helicopter was on a routine flight coaching west of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in accordance with the U.S. Army Particular Operations Command.
The bottom is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Tacoma below the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Joint Base Headquarters.
The reason for the crash stays below investigation. The skies within the space have been largely clear with gentle winds from the south across the time of the crash, in accordance with the Nationwide Climate Service.
The troopers “embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that outline the very spirit of the Army and Army Particular Operations,” Col. Stephen Smith stated within the launch.
They have been a part of the a hundred and sixtieth Particular Operations Aviation Regiment, an elite group that does nighttime missions, when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed about 9 p.m.
The regiment’s mission is to prepare, equip and make use of Army particular operations aviation forces around the globe, in accordance with the Army’s web site.
“Generally known as Night time Stalkers, these troopers are acknowledged for his or her proficiency in nighttime operations,” the web site stated. “They’re extremely skilled and able to accomplish the very hardest missions in all environments, anyplace on the earth, day or night time, with unparalleled precision.”
This was the second lethal crash of this elite unit in recent times.
5 Army aviation particular operations forces have been killed when a helicopter crashed within the Jap Mediterranean in 2023 throughout a routine air refueling mission as a part of army coaching. They have been all a part of the Army’s a hundred and sixtieth Particular Operations Aviation Regiment primarily based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
In March 2024, two troopers from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord SOAR unit have been hospitalized when their Apache helicopter crashed on the base throughout a routine coaching train.
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