Military Personnel in a Black Hawk Helicopter Met with Accident in Thurston County
In a tragic turn of events, a MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) crashed in the Capitol Forest, Thurston County, west of Olympia, on Wednesday night.
The incident occurred during a routine training flight, and 911 calls were received from people in the area reporting the crash. Air traffic controllers at JBLM's Gray Airfield lost touch with the aircraft at 9 p.m.
The crash site was engulfed in flames, preventing immediate rescue efforts. Four U.S. Army service members, who belonged to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), the most elite helicopter unit in the U.S. Army, were onboard the helicopter. The status of these service members is not provided at this time.
Special operation rescue units from the county and JBLM responded to the crash site, with the King County Sheriff's Office Guardian 1 helicopter overhead during the incident. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) crews withdrew from the area to allow firefighters and first responders access to the site.
The fire at the helicopter crash site has spread to 1 acre. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) is working with the military and other agencies to put out the fire. A WADNR engine responded Wednesday night, and more resources were assigned to the fire Thursday morning.
Search efforts are underway, and first responders remained at the scene Thursday. The crash is being investigated as an "aviation mishap." The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade of the U.S. Army, to which the service members belonged, is stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord.
It's important to note that there are no customer power outages related to the incident. The TCSO worked with JBLM to deploy resources at the scene.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the service members involved in this tragic incident. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
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