Two southern Missouri natives killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash

Ryan Collingwood, Springfield News-Leader
·1 min read
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Southern Missouri natives Rusten Smith (Rolla) and Zach Esparza (Jackson) were among the nine killed in a helicopter crash Wednesday during a military exercise near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Southern Missouri natives Rusten Smith (Rolla) and Zach Esparza (Jackson) were among the nine killed in a helicopter crash Wednesday during a military exercise near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Two of the nine military personnel killed in a late Wednesday night helicopter crash near Fort Campbell, Kentucky were from southern Missouri.

Rolla native Rusten Smith, 32, and fellow Warrant Chief Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, from Jackson, Missouri, were among the nine soldiers aboard the two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that crashed in what the Army described as a routine training mission.

The "multi-ship" exercise included the use of night vision goggles, Brig. Gen. John Lubas said at a press conference following the crash.

The seven others who perished in the crash were identified as:

  • Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, from Milton, Florida; Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, from Austin, Texas; Issacjohn Gayo, 27, from Los Angeles; Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25, from Morehead City, North Carolina; Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healey, 32, from Cape Coral, Florida; Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, from Mountain Brook, Alabama; and Sgt. David Solinas Jr., a 23-year-old from Oradell, New Jersey.

Fort Campbell is located astride the Kentucky and Tennessee border, between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee. The helicopters crashed in Trigg County, Kentucky, about 30 miles northwest of Fort Campbell.

“This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division. The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come,” said Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell. “Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers.”

The incident is under investigation by an Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, in Alabama.

The Nashville Tennessean and reporters from the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Two southern Missouri natives killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash