Showing posts with label helicopter crash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label helicopter crash. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

5 US Service Members Killed in helicopter crash

5 Americans killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
By Masoud Popalzai
CNN
updated 6:48 AM EDT, Tue March 12, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: A U.S. official says those killed were Americans
Crash happens in southern Afghanistan on Monday
Military says there was no enemy activity in the area
There have been 18 coalition deaths in 2013

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Five U.S. service members were killed when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, a U.S. official said early Tuesday.

The chopper went down Monday in the Daman district of southern Kandahar during a rain storm, said Jawid Faisal, a government spokesman for the province.

There was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the incident, according to a statement by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The U.S. official, who did not want to be identified, did not offer additional information about the victims.
read more here

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Search for missing boy leaves two Atlanta Police Officers Dead After Crash

Atlanta Police Helicopter Crash Kills Two Officers During Search For Missing Boy
By GREG SCHREIER 11/04/12

ATLANTA — A low-flying police helicopter scanning a bustling neighborhood not far from downtown Atlanta for a runaway 9-year-old boy suddenly plummeted to the ground and exploded, killing both officers on board but leaving those on the ground unharmed.

Federal authorities are investigating what caused the aircraft to descend into power lines, knocking out electricity to some residents nearby in the district filled with shopping plazas, fast food restaurants and homes. The boy was found safely a couple of hours after the helicopter crashed late Saturday night. Atlanta police spokesman Officer John Chafee said Sunday that the boy ran away after being scolded by his mother and was later found wandering on a city street.
read more here

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Flags Lowered for SEAL Killed in Afghanistan Crash

Flags Lowered for SEAL Killed in Afghanistan Crash
August 30, 2012
WLNS.com

GRANDVILLE, Mich. (AP) - Governor Rick Snyder has ordered U.S. flags lowered in honor of U.S. Navy SEAL who was among 11 people killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

The order is in effect for Thursday, the same day as a funeral for 27-year-old Petty Officer David J. Warsen of Kentwood.

The service is at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, near Grand Rapids.

Warsen died August 16 along with six other Americans and four Afghans when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed northeast of Kandahar.
read more here

Thursday, August 16, 2012

4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash

UPDATE August 16, 2012
Black Hawk crash kills 7 Americans, 4 Afghans

4 soldiers confirmed dead in Afghan helo crash
Taliban says it shot down Black Hawk
7 U.S., 4 Afghans dead
By Heidi Vogt and Kay Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 16, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven American troops and four Afghans died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, the NATO military coalition said. The Taliban claimed their fighters shot down the aircraft. At least four U.S. soldiers were confirmed among the casualties, according to Col. Thomas Collins, Army spokesman in Afghanistan.

The crash marked another deadly day for the United States in Afghanistan, less than a week after six American service members were gunned down, apparently by two members of the Afghan security forces they were training to take over the fight against the insurgency as international combat troops prepare to exit the country by the end of 2014.
read more here

Thursday, July 19, 2012

U.S. Navy Helicopter Crash: Copter Down In Oman

UPDATE

Jul 22
US Navy: 2 dead from Oman helicopter crash
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The U.S. Navy says the death toll from a helicopter crash last week in the Arabian peninsula nation of Oman is two.

U.S. Navy Helicopter Crash: Copter Down In Oman
Reuters
Posted: 07/19/2012

WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed in Oman on Thursday and the fate of its five crew members was unknown, the U.S. military said, even as it ruled out hostile activity.

The helicopter, a MH-53E Sea Dragon, manufactured by United Technologies Corp's Sikorsky Aircraft unit, crashed 58 miles southwest of Muscat while flying a heavy load in support of the Omani government.

"The crash was not due to any sort of hostile activity and the status of the five crew members is still being determined," said the statement from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, adding the crash was under investigation.
check back on Huffington Post for updates.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Two Fort Bragg Officers Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crash

2 Bragg officers killed in Afghan helo crash
Staff report
Posted : Friday Jun 8, 2012

Two North Carolina-based soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Killed were:
• Capt. Scott P. Pace, 39, of Brawley, Calif.
• 1st Lt. Mathew G. Fazzari, 25, of Walla Walla, Wash.

They died Wednesday in Qarah Bagh, Afghanistan, when their helicopter crashed.
They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
No additional information was immediately available.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Helicopter Crash Kills 2 NATO Soldiers in Afghanistan

Helicopter Crash Kills 2 NATO Soldiers in Afghanistan
VOA News
May 28, 2012

NATO officials said two coalition members were killed in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan Monday.

The coalition said it is investigating the cause of the crash. Initial reports said there was no enemy activity in the area.

Earlier, another coalition aircraft also crashed in eastern Afghanistan. There were no fatalities in that crash.

Also Monday, an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan killed a NATO service member.
read more here

Friday, May 18, 2012

Hawk caused Camp Pendleton Marine helicopter crash

Report: Bird strike caused Marine helicopter crash that killed 2 Camp Pendleton Marines
By Associated Press
Published: May 17

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — A bird strike caused a deadly helicopter crash at Camp Pendleton last year that killed two Marines, according to a Marine Corps investigation.

The AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter collided Sept. 19 with a red-tailed hawk that had a wing span of about 4 feet and probably weighed about 3 pounds, according to a report obtained by U-T San Diego

Both pilots onboard, Capt. Jeffrey Bland, 37, and 1st Lt. Thomas Heitmann, 27, were killed in the crash.
read more here

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

2 US Marines killed, 2 injured in Morocco Osprey crash

UPDATE
Official: Osprey crashed after Marines unloaded
By Gina Cavallaro -
Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Apr 12, 2012

Two Marines were killed and two severely injured in the crash of an MV-22 Osprey during a training exercise in southern Morocco, the Marine Corps confirmed Wednesday.

The Osprey took off from amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima and crashed around 4 p.m. local time, moments after dropping off Marines at an inland location near Cap Draa, a military training area southwest of Agadir, Morocco.

The aircraft belonged to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, an Osprey unit out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., and was attached to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., on March 29.

The four victims were the only personnel aboard at the time of the crash. They received immediate care from Navy medical personnel on the ground before being evacuated by KC-130 transport planes to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, according to a 24th MEU news release.
read more here
2 US Marines killed, 2 injured in Morocco
BY PAUL SCHEMM
Associated Press
Apr 11, 2012
RABAT, Morocco (AP)

Two U.S. Marines were killed and two severely injured in the crash of a hybrid aircraft in Morocco on Wednesday, officials said.

The Marines were taking part in joint U.S.-Moroccan military excercises located in the south of the country based in Agadir, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Rodney Ford in Rabat, who gave the toll.

Capt. Kevin Schultz, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon in Washington, confirmed that the aircraft involved was an MV-22 Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like an airplane. The aircraft was participating in a U.S.-Moroccan military exercise known as "African Lion."

The Osprey was flying from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, a defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is in the early stages of investigation.
read more here

Thursday, March 22, 2012

YouTube video shows military helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Mar 22, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Video shows a US military helicopter apparently losing control and crashing near a base in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that no one was injured in the crash. The cause of the crash is said to be under investigation. (March 22)

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Capt. Michael Quin, USMC to be honored in hometown

Purcellville’s Capt. Michael Quin, USMC, who lost his life in the crash of his UH-1 “Huey” helicopter last month, will be honored upon his return home on Monday March 12th. The exact time of his arrival in Purcellville is estimated to be between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Chaplains comfort families after Marine helicopter crash

Chaplains comfort families after Marine crash

By ERIKA I. RITCHIE / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

CAMP PENDLETON – Within hours of Wednesday's nighttime midair collision between two Marine Corps helicopters over a remote section of the California desert, chaplains gathered — dress uniforms in hand — to give news to the families and to provide spiritual support to fellow Marines.

The crash which happened at 8:45 p.m. killed seven Marines. Two were aboard an AH-1W Cobra and the rest were in a UH-1 Huey utility helicopter when the crash occurred near the Chocolate Mountains along the California-Arizona border. Six Marines were stationed at Camp Pendleton and were part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, one Marine was from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

In the minutes and hours after the collision, word spread quickly. Many in the Air Wing knew there was something wrong and chaplains and Casualty Assistance Call Officers or CACO's — specially trained Marines who work as liaisons between military and families — worked quickly to begin notification of the next of kin.

"This is a dynamic, very tight-knit wing," said U.S. Navy Capt. Irving Elson, the Aircraft Wing's senior chaplain. The tragedy didn't just happen to the squadron, it happened to the Marine Corps, it happened to the nation and it happened to us."
read more here

Midair helicopter collision kills 7 Marines

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Midair helicopter collision kills 7 Marines in Arizona

Midair helicopter collision kills 7 Marines
From Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
updated 11:13 AM EST, Thu February 23, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Spokesman: Marines onboard were preparing to deploy in Afghanistan
The Marine Corps says the collision occurred during routine training
A UH-1Y helicopter and an AH-1W helicopter crash midair
Authorities are investigating the collision

(CNN) -- Seven U.S. Marines have been killed in the midair collision of two U.S. military helicopters in southern Arizona, officials said Thursday.

The crash occurred during routine training operations Wednesday night at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Maj. Carl B. Redding, Jr. of the Marine Corps said in a statement.

The collision involved an AH-1W "Super Cobra" attack helicopter and a UH-1Y "Huey" utility chopper, which the military has long used for a variety of tasks. They were part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Authorities were investigating the collision, which occurred in a remote area of a training range complex.

"We won't know exactly what happened until the investigation is complete, and we can't make any assumptions right now," said 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine Corps spokeswoman.

The Marines onboard were preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, she said.
read more here

UPDATE
Camp Pendleton Marines Killed in Yuma Crash Identified
The Marine Corps have released the names of the six local Marines killed in Tuesday's crash.
By Daniel Woolfolk
February 24, 2012
Maj. Thomas A. Budrejko, 37, of Montville, Conn.

Capt. Michael M. Quin, 28, of Purcellville, Va.

Sgt. Justin A. Everett, 33, of Clovis, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Corey A. Little, 25, of Marietta, Ga.

Lance Cpl. Nickoulas H. Elliott, 21, of Spokane, Wash.

Capt. Benjamin N. Cerniglia, 31, of Montgomery, Ala.

Capt. Nathan W. Anderson, 32, of Amarillo, Texas
FAMILIES, FRIENDS MOURN MARINES
One of those killed in accident was recently engaged, another was expecting a baby
By Matthew T. Hall & Nathan Max • U-T
Bonded by tragedy and buoyed by pride, loved ones of the Marines from a San Diego-based air wing who died in a helicopter training accident Wednesday shared their stories Friday.

One lived in San Marcos with his wife of two years and was expecting a baby. Another had just celebrated his 11-year wedding anniversary. A third was the son of a pastor. A fourth had flown three tours in Iraq and was preparing for what would have been his second deployment to Afghanistan. A fifth was recently engaged.

Six of the Marines were from Camp Pendleton. A seventh was from the Marine air station in Yuma.

As friends, family members and compatriots grieved, officials said it could take weeks to determine what caused an AH-1W Cobra and a UH-1Y Huey to crash in midair during an exercise over Imperial County, killing all seven aboard Wednesday night.

The weather was mild and the skies were clear that night. The helicopters went down about 8 p.m. during routine training on a military range between California and Arizona, about a 90-minute drive from Yuma Marine Corps Air Station.

The Marines came from the four corners of the United States.
read more here

Saturday, January 21, 2012

6 Marines killed in helo crash identified

6 Marines killed in helo crash identified
Staff report
Posted : Saturday Jan 21, 2012 12:17:57 EST
The Defense Department on Saturday identified the six Marines killed earlier this week in a helicopter crash in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The Marines were identified as:

• Capt. Daniel B. Bartle, 27, of Ferndale, Wash.

• Capt. Nathan R. McHone, 29, of Crystal Lake, Ill.

• Master Sgt. Travis W. Riddick, 40, of Centerville, Iowa.

• Cpl. Jesse W. Stites, 23, of North Beach, Md.

• Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard, 25, of Colonia, N.J.

• Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, of Willis, Texas.
read more here

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

2 Marines killed in helicopter crash at Calif base

2 Marines killed in helicopter crash at Calif base
September 20, 2011
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.—An investigation was under way into the cause of a helicopter crash that killed two Marines during a training exercise at Southern California's Camp Pendleton.

The crash sparked a brush fire that burned 120 acres, a base statement said. It was 80 percent contained.

The twin-engine, two-seat AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed in the southeast corner of the base Monday near the community of Fallbrook.

The Marines died at the scene. Their names won't be released until their families have been notified, officials said.

The fire grew quickly after the crash, burning 50 acres within three hours after the helicopter went down. It initially was moving near the base's border with the town of De Luz, but was confined to the base late Monday, a base statement said.
read more here

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Some troops killed in helo crash identified

Some troops killed in helo crash identified
The Associated Press and staff report
Posted : Sunday Aug 7, 2011 16:42:11 EDT
Reports identifying some of the U.S. troops killed when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan began circulating Sunday.

Thirty Americans and eight Afghans were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

The following is a collection of reports from the Associated Press where family members identified some of the Americans killed in the crash.

AIR FORCE TECH SGT. JOHN W. BROWN LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

ARMY SPECIALIST 4 SPENCER C. DUNCAN OLATHE, Kan.

ARMY SGT. PATRICK HAMBURGER OMAHA, Neb.

PETTY OFFICER FIRST CLASS MICHAEL STRANGE, PHILADELPHIA

AARON CARSON VAUGHN NASHVILLE, Tenn.
read more here
Some troops killed in helo crash identified

Special Operation Soldier Killed

Also
Green Forest AR Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
U.S. Navy SEAL Tommy Ratzlaff was a 1995 graduate of Green Forest High School.
Chad Plein, KY3 News
cplein@ky3.com
4:23 p.m. CDT, August 7, 2011

GREEN FOREST, Ark.—
Family members tell KY3 News, U.S. Navy SEAL Tommy Ratzlaff of Green Forest, Arkansas, was killed in action in the Afghanistan helicopter crash.

We're told it was Ratzlaff's childhood dream to serve his country. In 1995, Ratzlaff joined the Navy out of high school and Ratzlaff's sister told KY3's Chad Plein, Tommy would appreciate the well-wishes his family has received but added, "Tommy would want the focus of his sacrifice to be on the cause, not on the sacrifice itself."

The family received news of Ratzlaff's death by the U.S. Navy Saturday around 10:30 a.m. Services have yet to be finalized.

U.S. Navy SEAL Tommy Ratzlaff leaves behind a wife, two boys aged 11 and six, and a child on-the-way; a baby girl due in November. He was 35-years-old.
read more about him here
Green Forest AR Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan

In Copter Crash in Afghanistan, a Double Loss for Shreveport
By THOM SHANKER
Published: August 7, 2011
WASHINGTON — The helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed 30 American servicemen, including 22 members of the Navy’s most elite counterterrorism unit, brought the pain of a double loss to a Louisiana river port on Sunday.

One town, Shreveport. Two high school friends, Robert James Reeves and Jonas Kelsall. Both overcame extreme tests and rigorous training to serve on the same elite Seal team. Both were assigned the same mission, and put in the same helicopter, only to perish together over the weekend.
read more here
Double Loss for Shreveport

Parents share memories of son killed in Afghanistan chopper crash
By Oscar Valenzuela - bio | email

Robert and Mary Vickers sat down at their home on Maui to share a few memories about their son Kraig.

Kraig's father had coached his son's high school wrestling team where he excelled, and wasn't too surprised when their son told him and his wife Mary he had some news.

"He came home one day and informed us he had enlisted." said his mother Mary.

Not one to miss an opportunity for humor, Kraig showed his father a coffee mug that the Navy recruiter had given him.

"I said what's with this, you know the coffee mug? 'I signed up' he said, 'if I sign up for an extra year they'll give me another cup.' He liked to make people laugh. I told him there's only one class clown in this family, that was me but he out did me." said his father Robert.

But Kraig Vickers new job was no laughing matter. He had signed on to be a part of the Navy's explosive ordinance disposal team, a bomb expert.

Robert Vickers explained part of what his son did for a living. "Part of his job was to set up the training for the Seals so he would go in and set up the booby traps and stuff like that."
read more here
Parents share memories of son killed in Afghanistan chopper crash

Blanding man among Navy SEALs killed in Afghanistan
Published: Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011 8:07 p.m. MDT
By Pat Reavy
and Sandra Yi, Deseret News


BLANDING, San Juan County — Jason Workman knew since he was a young boy that he wanted to be a Navy SEAL.

He knew the odds of making the elite fighting force were slim. Workman not only accomplished his goal, but he also became a member of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6.

Saturday, Petty Officer First Class Jason Workman, 32, was among the 31 Americans killed, including 22 members of SEAL Team 6, when their helicopter was shot down by insurgents in Afghanistan.

Members of the SEAL Team 6 were responsible for killing Osama bin Laden.

Sunday, the small southern Utah town of Blanding, where flags flew at half staff, was in mourning over the loss of their hometown hero. The town of about 3,000 people has already lost two other servicemen in the war.

"This community loved what this young man was doing for us, as well as our other soldiers are doing for us," said Blanding Mayor Toni Turk.

Workman was a man that even if residents hadn't personally met, they were proud to call him one of their own.

"We are so proud of someone like Jason being from a small town to become an elite special forces soldier," said his childhood friend Tate Bennett.
read more here
Blanding man among Navy SEALs killed in Afghanistan


Three Area Soldiers Among the 30 Killed in Taliban Chopper Attack
Three Area Soldiers Among the 30 Killed in Taliban Chopper Attack
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
The U.S. Army says three men from the Kansas City area were killed in the Chinook helicopter attack that took the lives of 30 American soldiers on Friday. Officials have not yet released the names of two of the men, pending family notification.

Those who knew the 21-year-old say he was a soldier through and through. Friends say he could've taken apart the Chinook helicopter he was on and put it back together again. Those same friends are having trouble keeping it together as they deal with the loss of Duncan.

Kansas boy wants world to recognize his fallen father
By Moni Basu, CNN
August 9, 2011 7:14 a.m. EDT
Bryan Nichols, left, is seen sitting with four of his Army buddies in front of a military aircraft.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Braydon Nichols, 10, sent in a photo of his father to CNN's iReport
His father, Bryan Nichols, was killed when the Chinook went down in Afghanistan
Braydon couldn't understand why the Navy SEALs were drawing attention, but not his dad
Bryan Nichols was to have come home on leave in nine days

(CNN) -- A young boy in Kansas was among millions in America who watched the horrifying news this past weekend about the Chinook that went down in Afghanistan's Wardak province.

That boy in Kansas soon found out that his father, a U.S. Army pilot, was aboard the doomed helicopter.

In the midst of his world shattering, he could not understand why the Navy SEALs drew so much attention. There were 30 Americans on board that Chinook. Why wasn't anyone mentioning his father, a chief warrant officer with Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment?

So he sent in a photograph to CNN's iReport of his dad, Bryan Nichols, sitting with four of his Army buddies in front of a military aircraft.

"My father was one of the 30 US Soldiers killed in Afghanistan yesterday with the Seals rescue mission," he wrote. "My father was the pilot of the chinook. I have seen other pictures of victims from this deadly mission and wish you would include a picture of my father. He is the farthest to the left."
read more here
Kansas boy wants world to recognize his fallen father

Update: Iowan killed in copter crash always wanted to be a SEAL
Written by
TIFFANY DE MASTERS

Jon Tumilson always wanted to be a U.S. Navy SEAL.

“He was going to be a Navy SEAL since I can’t remember when,” said Jan Stowe of Rockford, who has been a neighbor of the Tumilson family for 33 years. Tumilson, 35, was one of 30 Americans to die Saturday in Afghanistan when their helicopter was shot down.

“We watched him grow up,” Stowe said Sunday. “We had a tightknit group of kids in the neighborhood. … They played together every day.”

Family members declined to comment Sunday beyond confirming Tumilson’s death in the most deadly attack on American forces since the war in Afghanistan began 10 years ago.
read more here
Iowan killed in copter crash always wanted to be a SEAL

Fallen Navy SEAL was ‘special kid’

‘He died doing what he loved’

By Christine McConville
Monday, August 8, 2011

The Hyannis-raised Navy SEAL killed Saturday in the deadly helicopter crash in Afghanistan was just a little boy when he decided to become part of the elite Navy commando unit.

By age 36, Kevin Houston had more than accomplished his goal. During his three tours in Afghanistan, he’d earned a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars and numerous other military honors, a longtime Cape Cod friend said yesterday.

“He died doing what he loved,” said Chris Kelly of Osterville, a Vietnam veteran who was a mentor to the younger Houston. “And he wouldn’t have done it any other way. He went out to rescue his buddies, and he got shot down.”
read more here
Fallen Navy SEAL was special kid
Navy SEAL Community Handles Grief Quietly
August 7, 2011

Stamford Man Died In Chinook Attack In Afghanistan
Brian Bill Is Remembered By Friends, Family And Comrades For His High Personal Standards, Strong Work Ethic And Selflessness

August 08, 2011|By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY, cdempsey@courant.com, The Hartford Courant
Brian Bill was a skier, pilot and triathlete who aspired to become an astronaut. He was also a member of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs fighting in Afghanistan.

The 1997 graduate of Trinity Catholic High in Stamford was one of 30 U.S. troops killed over the weekend when a Chinook helicopter crashed after being fired on in Afghanistan.
read more here

Stamford Man Died In Chinook Attack In Afghanistan

Former Hays resident killed in Afghanistan

8/9/2011
By GARY DEMUTH Salina Journal

HAYS -- Bryan Nichols, the pilot of the Chinook helicopter shot down Saturday in Afghanistan, was remembered as someone who didn't make a decision without a lot of thought.

"Once he made his mind up, he was on a path and didn't deviate from it," said Kathy Taylor, Nichols' former guidance counselor at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School in Hays, where Nichols graduated in 1998.

"He checked things out and knew what he was doing when he enlisted right after high school," she said.

After joining the Army Reserves, Nichols studied to become a helicopter pilot.

"He flew hundreds of missions, brought groups in and out," Taylor said.

Nichols, 31, a Kansas City resident, was among the 30 Americans killed when their North Atlantic Treaty Organization CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Wardak province west of Kabul in eastern Afghanistan.
read more here
Former Hays resident killed in Afghanistan

Spc. Spencer Duncan

Thursday, July 7, 2011

One dead in California crash of Marine helicopter

One dead in California crash of Marine helicopter
SAN DIEGO | Wed Jul 6, 2011 11:47pm EDT
(Reuters) - One Marine was killed and five others were injured in the crash of a military helicopter at Camp Pendleton in southern California on Wednesday, the military said.

The five surviving victims are all Marines, and they were taken to local hospitals, said 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton.

Military officials did not immediately disclose the extent of their injuries, or the identity of the Marine who died.

The helicopter crashed in the north end of the 125,000-acre base, which is about 50 miles north of San Diego,

"It was a training incident, we are flying training at Camp Pendleton all the time," said Sgt. Derrick Carlson, a Marine spokesman.
read more here
One dead in California crash of Marine helicopter

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Copter crash kills 1 Marine, injures 3 off Hawaii

Copter crash kills 1 Marine, injures 3 off Hawaii
Sea Stallion plunges into the ocean; two survivors reported in critical condition


HONOLULU — One Marine was killed and three injured when a helicopter crashed into a bay on the coast of Oahu, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

The CH-53 D Sea Stallion, with four Marines aboard, crashed about 7:20 p.m. Hawaii time Tuesday, Maj. Alan Crouch, with the Marines' public affairs office in Hawaii, told NBC News.
read more here
Copter crash kills 1 Marine, injures 3 off Hawaii

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico, 6 feared dead

US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico, 6 feared dead

DANICA COTO
Associated Press
8:56 a.m. EST, December 21, 2010
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter has crashed in the ocean after returning from a drug raid, with all six people aboard feared dead, officials said Tuesday.

Two of the passengers are prosecutors with the local justice department and the other four are officials with the National Guard, three of them crew members, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad.

Crews are searching for those aboard, and Police Chief Jose Figueroa Sancha told NotiUno radio station that officials found the fuselage of the UH-72 helicopter just north of the island.

The helicopter was returning from the neighboring island of Vieques when it disappeared late Monday just north of the coastal city of Rio Grande. One pilot had 10 years of experience and the other had at least six years, and neither reported any problems during the flight, said National Guard Gen. Antonio Vicens.
read more here
US National Guard helicopter crashes in Puerto Rico

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

9 troops killed in Afghanistan helo crash

9 troops killed in Afghanistan helo crash

By Deb Riechmann - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 22, 2010 6:03:30 EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan — A NATO helicopter crashed Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, killing nine international troops in a region where forces are ramping up pressure on Taliban insurgents. It was the deadliest chopper crash for the coalition in four years.

A “large number” of Americans were among those who died, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because not all relatives had been notified. He said it remained unclear whether troops of other nationalities were among the fatalities.

The cause was not immediately clear. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the helicopter, but NATO said there were no reports of hostile fire.

It happened in Zabul province — rugged terrain where helicopters are heavily used to transport military troops spread over mountainous areas with few roads.
read more here
9 troops killed in Afghanistan helo crash