ALL four special forces soldiers aboard the Black Hawk military helicopter are believed to be dead.
The aircraft came down at around 9pm yesterday near the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
Black Hawk helicopters fly across the National Mall during the 250th birthday parade on June 14
GettyFour service members assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment were on board an MH-60 Black Hawk[/caption]
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Department were called yesterday to reports of an explosion in the area.
The military lost contact with the chopper in the area 40 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said the Thurston County sheriff’s office.
Four special operations officers are understood to have been on board when the chopper came down, around 35 miles west of the base.
The King County sheriff’s office Guardian 1 helicopter responded to the crash.
A spokesperson yesterday said: “Deputies have located what is believed to be the scene.
“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist.
“Deputies located the crash site but have been unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire and is starting to overheat their footwear.”
Army Special Operations Command described the horror crash as a “mishap”.
The troops on board are believed to be in the hardened “Night Stalkers” special operations regiment.
A spokesperson said: “Four service members assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) were on board an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in an aviation mishap in a rural area near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“This remains an active, ongoing situation.”
They added that the terrain where the Black Hawk crashed is “hard to reach”.
A fire sparked by the crash reportedly smothered up to one acre of land.
Crews from the state Department of Natural Resources and a fire truck from the nearby McLane Black Lake Fire Department responded at the scene.
The base is around 10 miles south of Tacoma, and under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Joint Base Headquarters.
Back in March, another helicopter crashed at the same base during a training exercise.
Two army pilots were injured when the chopper came down.
Colonel Bryen Freigo said at the time: “The two crew members were medically evacuated to Madigan Army Medical Center for evaluation and treatment and remain at the hospital in stable condition.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with these families and soldiers during their recovery.”
Meanwhile in January, an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Va., crashed midair with a commercial jetliner.
Disaster struck as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.
All 67 people aboard the two aircrafts, including three Army pilots, were killed.
It was America’s deadliest air disaster since 2001, and helicopters have since been banned from flying in the airspace.
Piloting the helicopter was Capt. Rebecca Lobach, 28, who was on a training mission under instruction from Andrew Eaves.
Eaves urged Lobach to change course in order to avoid the looming plane, but that never happened, the New York Times reported.
In another error, officials said the pilots “stepped on” the air traffic controller’s instructions.
That means they accidentally cut him off by pressing the button to speak over the radio – and likely missed out on key information and warnings.
The pilots were already flying under riskier conditions after requesting to use their own visuals to avoid other traffic, instead of air traffic control’s.
APLaw enforcement personnel responded to the crash near Joint Base Lewis-McChord[/caption]
APThe main flag pole in front of the US Army I Corps headquarters on Joint Base Lewis-McChord[/caption]
GettyA Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk ahead of the US Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
