The three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in a field in upstate New York this week were experienced pilots with previous trips to Afghanistan, officials said on Friday.
Dead in the accident were Petty Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, from Rochester, Petty Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, from Honeoye Falls, and Petty Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 from Rochester, according to the National Guard.
The UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed in a farmer’s field near Mendon, south of Rochester, around 6:30 pm on Wednesday. There were no survivors.
Photos of this combination, released by the New York State Military and Naval Affairs Division, show the three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in Mendon, NY, on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. They are, from left: Deputy Chief 5 Steven Skoda, 54, from Rochester, NY; Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, from Honeoye Falls, NY; and Chief Warrant Officer Two Daniel Prial, 30, from Rochester, NY. (New York State Military and Naval Affairs Division via AP)
(New York State Military and Naval Affairs Division via AP)
The crew was conducting proficiency training in night vision goggles in the local training area, the National Guard said. The helicopter was based at the Army Aviation Support Center at Rochester International Airport.
Witnesses who called 911 reported hearing an engine cracking and said the helicopter was flying very low.
An Army Security Investigation team arrived on Thursday from Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Skoda served in the Army from 1985 to 1987 and joined the National Guard in 1987. He was a veteran of the Afghan War and was deployed there in 2013 and 2019.
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He was a senior UH-60 instructor pilot and maintenance test pilot with nearly 5,000 flight hours and worked full time as a National Guard technician.
Koch, a 20-year-old Guard member, served in the war in Afghanistan and in the war in Iraq. He was also a civilian pilot for the New York State Police, who said he was recently honored by the Red Cross for his role in rescuing an 11-year-old boy who fell 30 meters into a ravine in June.
Koch left his wife and four children, the state police said.
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Prial served in the Army after earning a commission at the United States Military Academy in West Point in 2012.
He served as the leader of the medical evacuation squad in the 82nd Airborne Division of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade and was deployed in Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015. He became a captain before accepting the appointment as a Guard non-officer in order to continue flying, they said the authorities .
Prial worked at the Aviation Support Center as a federal technician.
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The remains of the three were recovered from the crash site on Thursday and accompanied by processions of first responders to the county coroner’s office. Residents, some holding flags, left their homes and saluted when vehicles passed.