US Army says 4 special ops troops presumed dead in Washington State helicopter crash

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(Reuters) – Four U.S. Army special operations soldiers were presumed killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed this week during a routine training exercise in a remote area of Washington state near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the Army said on Friday.

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk went down at about 9 p.m. PDT on Wednesday night in rugged terrain near the base, located about 15 miles southeast of Tacoma, Washington, according to Jacqui Hill, spokesperson for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

No survivors were found among the four personnel who were aboard the aircraft, all members of the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 4th Battalion, assigned to Lewis-McChord, she said.

Dubbed “Night Stalkers,” this airborne unit is known for its expertise in conducting operations under cover of darkness and for pioneering the Army’s nighttime flying tactics.

“They were elite warriors who embodied our highest values of the Army and the Army Special Operations, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga said of the four fallen soldiers in a statement.

Hill said efforts to reach the accident site were complicated by the remote location, fire from the crash and thick vegetation, and that recovery operations were continuing on Friday.

The cause of the crash was under investigation, Hill said.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by David Gregorio)