3 National Guard members who died in New York helicopter crash identified

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Authorities have identified the three National Guard members killed Wednesday night when the military helicopter they were flying crashed in a Mendon field.

Killed were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial.

A New York Army National Guard UH-60 medical evacuation helicopter crashed on a routine training mission after 6:30 p.m. EST Wednesday in a field in Mendon.

The helicopter, a Black Hawk, was based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Greater Rochester International Airport.

Law enforcement personnel escort the bodies of National Guardsmen to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office in Brighton, N.Y., on Jan. 21.  Three Guard members were killed when their helicopter crashed on a training flight in Mendon the night before.
Law enforcement personnel escort the bodies of National Guardsmen to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office in Brighton, N.Y., on Jan. 21. Three Guard members were killed when their helicopter crashed on a training flight in Mendon the night before.

According to preliminary 911 reports, "there were calls of sputtering sounds of an engine and that the aircraft was flying very low, more low than normal," Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said.

Shortly after the calls, there were reports of a crash.

The helicopter crashed into a field. It did not appear that any of the houses nearby were damaged.

Investigators are shown Thursday, Jan, 21, 2021,  on the scene of a fatal military helicopter crash that occurred Wednesday near West Bloomfield Road in Mendon.
Investigators are shown Thursday, Jan, 21, 2021, on the scene of a fatal military helicopter crash that occurred Wednesday near West Bloomfield Road in Mendon.

Mendon Fire Chief Bill Kessler said the helicopter was on fire when first responders arrived.

Baxter said authorities contacted the control tower at the Greater Rochester International Airport but had not reviewed whether those on board the helicopter were communicating with anyone in the tower at the time of the crash.

The helicopter's flight path was not immediately available.

A National Guard spokesman said that soldiers routinely conduct training flights from the Rochester airport, departing and returning to the site as crews must maintain a certain number of flying hours each month.

A tough blow to 'a very tightknit unit'

The names of the three people killed in the crash had not been released as of Thursday morning. Authorities confirmed that the three were the only people on board the helicopter.

The aircraft was assigned to C Company of the 1st Battalion, 171st General Support Aviation Battalion, according to the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

The unit includes about 80 soldiers, most of whom reside in the Rochester region, and is part of an air ambulance company. Typically, the airmen's job is to retrieve and evacuate injured soldiers.

"This is a very tightknit unit," Baxter said, and a lot of people and family responded to the National Guard Center on the backside of the airport Wednesday. "This is a heavy, heavy burden upon all of us."

A U.S. Army veteran, Baxter said, "These are our freedom providers ... just showing again that freedom is not free. We lost three great Americans in the service of our country."

A military helicopter burns after a crash near West Bloomfield and Cheese Factory roads in Mendon on Jan. 20, 2021. Three soldiers aboard died.
A military helicopter burns after a crash near West Bloomfield and Cheese Factory roads in Mendon on Jan. 20, 2021. Three soldiers aboard died.

The investigation

A New York State Police helicopter assisted in the search for any potential survivors from the air Wednesday night, hovering over the crash site.

The debris field extends "over what I'd describe as a few city blocks," roughly hundreds of feet in each direction, Baxter said.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office leads the preliminary investigation, Baxter said, then the New York National Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration will take over for a joint investigation to determine why the Black Hawk crashed.

The helicopter

Developed by aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky, Black Hawk helicopters have been a part of the U.S. military since 1978, according to the U.S. Army website.

The UH-60 has the capacity to hold up to 2,640 pounds or 11 combat-equipped soldiers. It primarily serves as air support in situations such as medical evacuation, air assault, general support and special operations in combat.

In December 2019, three National Guard members were killed in a crash on a maintenance test flight in Minnesota. Aviation safety experts told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune that Black Hawk mishap rates are low.

Contributing: Natalia Rodriguez Medina, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Follow reporter Victoria Freile on Twitter: @vfreile

Why is it called the Paris Agreement? The name has nothing to do with 'citizens of Paris' as Ted Cruz tweeted

Tragedy, then lawsuits: The vast legal fallout of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Mendon, New York, helicopter crash: 3 National Guard members die