Army identifies nine soldiers killed in helicopter collision

Misty Severi

March 31, 09:38 PM March 31, 09:38 PM

On Friday, U.S. Army officials identified the nine soldiers killed in a helicopter crash when two helicopters collided flying out of Fort Campbell in Kentucky on Wednesday.

All nine people on the Black Hawk helicopters died in the accident, which occurred during a routine training mission. The soldiers were all assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, and their ages ranged from 23 to 36.

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“Now is the time for grieving and healing,” Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, the commanding general of the installation and of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, said in a statement. “The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen soldiers."

McGee added that the losses will "reverberate through our formations for years to come.”

The nine soldiers killed were identified as Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33; Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36; Sgt. Isaac J. Gayo, 27; Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25; Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32; Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32; and 23-year-old Sgt. David Solinas Jr.

Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the 101st Airborne Division deputy commander, said the teams were training to fly in aircraft formations with night vision goggles. Four helicopters were involved in the training, but one was refueling at the time, and another was too far ahead of the other two to be affected by the crash.

No specific cause of the crash has been identified. An Army aviation team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, is leading the investigation.

The incident is the deadliest aviation training accident since 2015, when 11 service members were killed in a Black Hawk crash off the coast of Florida.

News helicopter crash in North Carolina leaves pilot and meteorologist dead

Jack Birle

November 22, 07:05 PM November 22, 07:05 PM

A helicopter crash in Charlotte, North Carolina, killed two employees of the news department of the local CBS station WBTV.

WBTV meteorologist Jason Myers and Sky3 helicopter pilot Chip Tayag were killed in the crash on Interstate 77, the station confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

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“The WBTV family is grieving a terrible loss. Our news helicopter Sky3 crashed mid-day Tuesday with two of our colleagues on board. Meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag lost their lives. We are working to comfort their families in this difficult time. We appreciate the outpouring of support for our staff and your continued prayers for their families,” the station said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said the helicopter crashed on the side of the highway and that there were no vehicles involved in the crash at a media briefing Tuesday.

Jennings called the pilot a "hero" based on witness reports that Tayag had made moves to land off of the road rather than on the highway.

The right lane of I-77 south near Nations Ford Road is closed until midnight local time, per the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The NTSB confirmed in a tweet Tuesday that it is investigating the helicopter crash.