Army identifies soldiers who died in helicopter crash near Healy

In this photo released by the U.S. Army, AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, fly over a mountain range near Fort Wainwright, Alaska on June 3, 2019. (Cameron Roxberry/U.S. Army)

Army officials have identified the three soldiers who died Thursday after the two helicopters they were flying collided in mid-air near Healy.

The victims are 39-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Eramo of Oneonta, New York; 28-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle McKenna of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and 32-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Stewart Wayment of North Logan, Utah.

A fourth soldier who was injured in the crash and transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is still undergoing treatment there. A news release issued Saturday by the 11th Airborne Division says the servicemember was in stable condition. Army officials haven’t yet released the soldier’s name.

11th Airborne spokesperson John Pennell said the soldiers were flying two AH-64 Apache helicopters with the Fort Wainwright-based 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment. He said the Apaches were returning Thursday afternoon from a training mission in the Donnelly Training Area near Fort Greely when they collided and crashed about 50 miles east of Healy.

“The terrain is extremely rugged, mountainous, deep snow, heavily forested. It required helicopter access with hoists, to get in there,” he said.

Pennell said there wasn’t much information available yet about other factors that may have contributed to the collision. But he said investigators were scheduled to fly in Saturday to the crash site.

“There is a safety investigation that will be ongoing by the Army’s Combat Readiness Center out of Ft. Novosel, Alabama,” he said. “Until they have made their determination, there’s just really no way that I can give you any kind of speculation.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted air traffic within 25 nautical miles of the crash site through May 4, to facilitate the investigation.

Thursday’s crash is the second this year involving 11th Airborne Apache helicopters in Alaska. In February, two soldiers with the 11th Airborne Battalion were injured when the Apache they were in crashed soon after takeoff from the Talkeetna Airport, where they’d stopped to refuel on the way back from Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson.

In March, nine soldiers were killed in Kentucky when the Blackhawk helicopter they were in crashed during a routine nighttime training exercise.

In response to the crashes, the Army on Friday grounded all its aviation units and ordered them to conduct training this week before they’d be allowed to fly again.

KUAC senior reporter/producer Dan Bross contributed to this story.

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