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Black Hawk helicopter that crashed off Yemen belonged to elite Special Operations air unit
Source: Washington Post
Black Hawk helicopter that crashed off Yemen belonged to elite Special Operations air unit
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Andrew deGrandpre August 26 at 6:54 PM
The Black Hawk helicopter that crashed off the coast of Yemen Friday belonged to an elite Special Operations air regiment, a U.S. defense official said Saturday. One American service member remains missing.
The helicopter was conducting hoist training just feet above the water when it lost power and went into the sea, quickly rolling over and ejecting six aboard. Col. John J. Thomas, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said ships were nearby and five of the six service members were quickly recovered. Thomas said the search and rescue efforts for the missing service member are ongoing.
The helicopter and crew were a part of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Air Regiment and working alongside a Special Operations Task Force operating in the region, said Thomas. He added that additional military units have launched from nearby Djibouti to help with the rescue efforts.
The crash occurred around 7 p.m. local time about 20 miles off Yemen’s southern coast. The 160th Special Operations Air Regiment, or SOAR, has some of the best pilots in the U.S. military. The unit recently distinguished itself during a January 29 raid in Yemen when its helicopters flew repeatedly into heavy enemy fire to support U.S. Navy SEALs pinned down on the ground. The raid resulted in the death of the SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens. The 160th was also involved in the 2011 raid that killed Bin Laden.
-snip-
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Andrew deGrandpre August 26 at 6:54 PM
The Black Hawk helicopter that crashed off the coast of Yemen Friday belonged to an elite Special Operations air regiment, a U.S. defense official said Saturday. One American service member remains missing.
The helicopter was conducting hoist training just feet above the water when it lost power and went into the sea, quickly rolling over and ejecting six aboard. Col. John J. Thomas, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said ships were nearby and five of the six service members were quickly recovered. Thomas said the search and rescue efforts for the missing service member are ongoing.
The helicopter and crew were a part of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Air Regiment and working alongside a Special Operations Task Force operating in the region, said Thomas. He added that additional military units have launched from nearby Djibouti to help with the rescue efforts.
The crash occurred around 7 p.m. local time about 20 miles off Yemen’s southern coast. The 160th Special Operations Air Regiment, or SOAR, has some of the best pilots in the U.S. military. The unit recently distinguished itself during a January 29 raid in Yemen when its helicopters flew repeatedly into heavy enemy fire to support U.S. Navy SEALs pinned down on the ground. The raid resulted in the death of the SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens. The 160th was also involved in the 2011 raid that killed Bin Laden.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/08/26/american-service-member-missing-after-black-hawk-helicopter-crash-off-yemen/
