OMG Just what we need more tragedy 
They died serving our country and I salute them..
Johnathan
Blackhawk Helicopter Missing in New York
Moderator: S2k Moderators
-
Rainband
-
Rob-TheStormChaser
-
azsnowman
- Category 5
- Posts: 8591
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Pinetop Arizona. Elevation 7102' (54 miles west of NM border)
My prayers are with the friends and families of the those brave souls....their final flight will be into the hands of the Father!
Since I've been laid up all I've been watching is CNN, MSNBC, TVLAND and The History Channel. The HC had a special on the other day on the Black Hawk, that is ONE AWESOME Bird!
Dennis
Since I've been laid up all I've been watching is CNN, MSNBC, TVLAND and The History Channel. The HC had a special on the other day on the Black Hawk, that is ONE AWESOME Bird!
Dennis
0 likes
-
Rob-TheStormChaser
11 Soldiers Die in Crash of Army Helicopter at Fort Drum
By JAMES BARRON
n Army helicopter carrying 13 soldiers on a training mission crashed in a wooded stretch of the sprawling Fort Drum in upstate New York yesterday. Only two soldiers survived the accident, the Army said.
The Black Hawk helicopter went down on the western edge of Fort Drum, which covers 167 square miles near Lake Ontario and is 75 miles north of Syracuse. Maj. Daniel Bohr, an Army spokesman at Fort Drum, said one survivor walked away from the wreckage.
He said those aboard the helicopter — a twin-engine aircraft that can carry up to 14 passengers — were regular soldiers on active duty, not reservists. Four were from an aviation brigade that provides flight crews for missions originating at Fort Drum. The others were from an infantry brigade.
Maj. Gen. F. L. Hagenbeck, commander of Fort Drum and of the 10th Mountain Division based there, appeared at a news briefing and expressed condolences "to the families of our fallen comrades." He also said there would be an investigation of "this terrible accident."
But he did not say that the other 11 had been killed, and other officials at Fort Drum said they would not do so until relatives of all of the victims had been reached.
Major Bohr said that the helicopter was on a training mission when it disappeared about 2 p.m. He said it had taken off from Wheeler-Sack Airfield on the base. It was not clear when the copter had taken off or whether it was trying to return to Wheeler-Sack when it slammed into the woods.
Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division, said the training mission had involved three helicopters. The one that crashed was flying last in formation. But he said there was no indication that the three aircraft had been flying too close together or that one had bumped the helicopter that went down.
Wayne Davis, a dairy farmer, said he heard what he believes was the accident — "a big thump, and that's it," he said.
Hazel Seery, who was on her way home from work, said she saw two helicopters overhead. "There was one on the bottom and another helicopter flying on top of it," she told The Associated Press. "The one on the bottom's nose was up and the one on the top was tipping down."
Major Bohr said the Army sent several other helicopters to search for the missing copter. It was found after about 90 minutes in a desolate area of scrub pine that is home to black bears and turkeys and was popular with hunters, until the Army closed it several months ago.
"We had a hard time getting to it," he said. Other officials said the wreckage was about three miles from Wheeler-Sack, near the hamlet of Philadelphia, N.Y.
Major Bohr said the two survivors had been taken to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y., about nine miles from Fort Drum. The hospital refused to release information on the condition of the two survivors.
Colonel Hilferty said there had been no indication of trouble. "The first call I got was that it was missing," he said. "It just disappeared."
He said the helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, was on a training mission that had no connection with continuing war exercises at the base. Shortly before 2 p.m., the National Weather Service reported winds of 22 miles an hour at the Wheeler-Sack field, with gusts of up to 30 miles an hour. The skies were mostly cloudy, and the temperature was 23 degrees.
The UH-60 is the Army's principal tactical transport helicopter. The Defense Department says that the UH-60 has been a stalwart performer on air cavalry and electronic warfare missions and evacuations for more than 20 years. But Colonel Hilferty said he did not know the age of the UH-60 in the crash. UH-60's are typically equipped with advanced avionics and electronics.
Fort Drum has been a major staging area for reserve units as the Army has geared up for a possible war with Iraq. Nearly 1,000 soldiers and reservists have left in recent weeks.
As word of the accident spread, a Bible study group at the Philadelphia United Methodist Church prayed for the soldiers they heard had died. Philadelphia, population about 1,500, is closely tied to the life of the military base: hand-painted signs on the way to town read, "Philadelphia salutes the 10th Mountain Division."
"It's always devastating" when soldiers die, said the Rev. Jane E. Wagner, the pastor of the church. "People here are very caring for the military. We try to support them. Their children go to our schools."
A year ago, during a training exercise on the ground, 2 soldiers died and 13 were injured when howitzer shells missed their target and exploded near a mess tent.
Yesterday, many people in the area said they were concerned about the safety of military personnel.
"We tend to pray, then try to make phone calls, see if it's someone we know," said Beth E. Johnston, a computer coordinator with the Belleville Henderson Central School District.
By JAMES BARRON
n Army helicopter carrying 13 soldiers on a training mission crashed in a wooded stretch of the sprawling Fort Drum in upstate New York yesterday. Only two soldiers survived the accident, the Army said.
The Black Hawk helicopter went down on the western edge of Fort Drum, which covers 167 square miles near Lake Ontario and is 75 miles north of Syracuse. Maj. Daniel Bohr, an Army spokesman at Fort Drum, said one survivor walked away from the wreckage.
He said those aboard the helicopter — a twin-engine aircraft that can carry up to 14 passengers — were regular soldiers on active duty, not reservists. Four were from an aviation brigade that provides flight crews for missions originating at Fort Drum. The others were from an infantry brigade.
Maj. Gen. F. L. Hagenbeck, commander of Fort Drum and of the 10th Mountain Division based there, appeared at a news briefing and expressed condolences "to the families of our fallen comrades." He also said there would be an investigation of "this terrible accident."
But he did not say that the other 11 had been killed, and other officials at Fort Drum said they would not do so until relatives of all of the victims had been reached.
Major Bohr said that the helicopter was on a training mission when it disappeared about 2 p.m. He said it had taken off from Wheeler-Sack Airfield on the base. It was not clear when the copter had taken off or whether it was trying to return to Wheeler-Sack when it slammed into the woods.
Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division, said the training mission had involved three helicopters. The one that crashed was flying last in formation. But he said there was no indication that the three aircraft had been flying too close together or that one had bumped the helicopter that went down.
Wayne Davis, a dairy farmer, said he heard what he believes was the accident — "a big thump, and that's it," he said.
Hazel Seery, who was on her way home from work, said she saw two helicopters overhead. "There was one on the bottom and another helicopter flying on top of it," she told The Associated Press. "The one on the bottom's nose was up and the one on the top was tipping down."
Major Bohr said the Army sent several other helicopters to search for the missing copter. It was found after about 90 minutes in a desolate area of scrub pine that is home to black bears and turkeys and was popular with hunters, until the Army closed it several months ago.
"We had a hard time getting to it," he said. Other officials said the wreckage was about three miles from Wheeler-Sack, near the hamlet of Philadelphia, N.Y.
Major Bohr said the two survivors had been taken to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y., about nine miles from Fort Drum. The hospital refused to release information on the condition of the two survivors.
Colonel Hilferty said there had been no indication of trouble. "The first call I got was that it was missing," he said. "It just disappeared."
He said the helicopter, a UH-60 Black Hawk, was on a training mission that had no connection with continuing war exercises at the base. Shortly before 2 p.m., the National Weather Service reported winds of 22 miles an hour at the Wheeler-Sack field, with gusts of up to 30 miles an hour. The skies were mostly cloudy, and the temperature was 23 degrees.
The UH-60 is the Army's principal tactical transport helicopter. The Defense Department says that the UH-60 has been a stalwart performer on air cavalry and electronic warfare missions and evacuations for more than 20 years. But Colonel Hilferty said he did not know the age of the UH-60 in the crash. UH-60's are typically equipped with advanced avionics and electronics.
Fort Drum has been a major staging area for reserve units as the Army has geared up for a possible war with Iraq. Nearly 1,000 soldiers and reservists have left in recent weeks.
As word of the accident spread, a Bible study group at the Philadelphia United Methodist Church prayed for the soldiers they heard had died. Philadelphia, population about 1,500, is closely tied to the life of the military base: hand-painted signs on the way to town read, "Philadelphia salutes the 10th Mountain Division."
"It's always devastating" when soldiers die, said the Rev. Jane E. Wagner, the pastor of the church. "People here are very caring for the military. We try to support them. Their children go to our schools."
A year ago, during a training exercise on the ground, 2 soldiers died and 13 were injured when howitzer shells missed their target and exploded near a mess tent.
Yesterday, many people in the area said they were concerned about the safety of military personnel.
"We tend to pray, then try to make phone calls, see if it's someone we know," said Beth E. Johnston, a computer coordinator with the Belleville Henderson Central School District.
0 likes
-
Rainband
-
southerngale
- Retired Staff
- Posts: 27418
- Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 1:27 am
- Location: Southeast Texas (Beaumont area)
my Cowboys -
blizzard
- Category 5
- Posts: 2527
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2003 2:04 am
- Location: Near the Shores of Gitche Gumme
It's time that the military de-commissioned all of its blackhawks. they are notorious for unexplained failures and crashes. It didn't get the nicknake "CrashHawk" for nothing. It has probably the highest crash ratio of any active aircraft in the military today. This has been going on forever it seems. When I was serving in the mid-eighties, they had problems with them.
God bless the families of the service men/women aboard the aircraft. Our prayers are definately with you.
God bless the families of the service men/women aboard the aircraft. Our prayers are definately with you.
0 likes
-
Rob-TheStormChaser
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests