SEATTLE — 4 particular operations troopers aboard a U.S. Military MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed close to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state are “believed to be lifeless,” the U.S. Military Particular Operations Command mentioned Friday.
The helicopter was on a routine coaching mission west of the bottom when it crashed at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, Military officers mentioned. The troopers have been a part of the a hundred and sixtieth Particular Operations Aviation Regiment, Airborne, officers mentioned.
Military officers mentioned restoration efforts are underway, and the reason for the crash stays underneath investigation. They mentioned they might launch the troopers’ names “when applicable,” out of respect for the households.
“Our hearts are with the households, buddies, and teammates of those Evening Stalkers,” mentioned Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, USASOC Commander. “They have been elite warriors who embodied the very best values of the Military and the Military Particular Operations, and their sacrifice won’t ever be forgotten.”
The regiment’s mission is to arrange, equip and make use of Military particular operations aviation forces world wide, in response to the Military’s web site.
“Referred to as Evening Stalkers, these troopers are acknowledged for his or her proficiency in nighttime operations,” the web site mentioned. “They’re extremely skilled and able to accomplish the very hardest missions in all environments, wherever on the earth, day or evening, with unparalleled precision.”
The crash sparked a small wildfire that had grown to 1.25 acres (0.5 hectares) by Friday morning, the Washington Division of Pure Assets mentioned. The company mentioned there was “fairly minimal hearth exercise” so they’d one engine on the scene.
The bottom is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Tacoma underneath the jurisdiction of the U.S. Military Joint Base Headquarters.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Workplace, based mostly in Olympia, posted on-line late Wednesday that deputies have been dispatched to studies of a attainable helicopter crash within the Summit Lake space, west of Olympia.
“We’ve got been suggested that the army misplaced contact with a helicopter within the space,” the division mentioned. It mentioned it was working with the bottom and that no additional particulars have been out there.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders mentioned on Fb that deputies situated the crash website “however have been unable to proceed rescue efforts because the scene is on hearth.”
The latest aviation mishap at the joint base occurred in March 2024. Two troopers have been hospitalized when their Apache helicopter crashed on the base throughout a routine coaching train.
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