Additional Coverage:
Tragedy has struck the U.S. Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers,” with the likely loss of four soldiers in a helicopter crash. The MH-60 Black Hawk went down during a training exercise Wednesday night in a rural area approximately 40 miles west of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
The crash, which ignited a one-acre fire, occurred around 9 p.m. PDT.
The blaze initially hampered rescue efforts. The Army announced Friday that the four soldiers aboard, including the pilot, are likely deceased.
The names of the soldiers have not yet been released.
Lt. Gen.
Jonathan Braga, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, expressed his condolences, stating, “Our hearts are with the families, friends and teammates of these Night Stalkers.
They were elite warriors who embodied the highest values of the Army and the Army Special Operations. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
The 160th SOAR, headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has units stationed at several bases, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This incident follows another tragic training accident in November 2023, where the unit lost five soldiers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.