2003 — March 11, U.S. Army Blackhawk Helicopter Crash, Fort Drum, NY — 11
— 11 Baugher, Joseph F. 1990 USAF Serial Numbers. 8-19-2011 revision.
— 11 CNN. “Fort Drum mourns crash victims. 3-13-2003.
— 11 Post Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Investigators’ first report…two months.” 3-14-2003, A4.
— 11 The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “11 killed in copter crash.” 3-12-2003, p. 9.
— 11 Titusville Herald, PA. “Soldier killed in crash was from Oil City.” 3-13-2003, p. 3.
— 11 UH-60 Crews. Armyaircrews.com. 3-14-2012 modification.
— 11 VFW Magazine. “11 killed in Fort Drum crash.” May, 2003.
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Sikorksky UH-60L Blackhawk….26273 (B Company/2-10th AVN) crashed into wooded area on western edge of Fort Drum, NY Mar 11, 2003. 11 out of 13 occupants killed, 2 survivors seriously injured. Pilot error was reportedly responsible.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1990 USAF Serial Numbers. 8-19-2011 revision.)
March 12: “Fort Drum, N.Y. (AP) — The, military confirmed Wednesday [March 12] that 11 of the 13 soldiers aboard a Black Hawk helicopter died when their helicopter crashed during training in a remote, wooded area of a post in northern New York.
“One of the two survivors was in critical condition Wednesday, and the other was in serious condition, a Fort Drum spokesman said.
“The soldiers had just completed a “sling loading” exercise, loading and unloading equipment from a sling beneath the helicopter, and were on their way back to Wheeler-Sack Airfield when the helicopter crashed about three miles from the field, said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty.
“Crews aboard two other helicopters flying in the same training formation did not see the crash, Hilferty said. “They came back here and that’s when they noticed the trail helicopter was missing,” Hilferty said.
“All 13 soldiers aboard the helicopter were active members of the 10th Mountain Division. The four crew members were from the division’s Aviation Brigade. The infantrymen were from the Second Brigade….
“The accident will be investigated by a team from the Army Safety Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., and personnel from the Criminal Investigation Command, Hilferty said. The military’s criminal investigation unit reviews all accidents at military facilities, he said. Investigators stayed at the scene through the night. On Wednesday, heavy snow was falling, making their work more difficult.
“Hilferty said there were no indications of problems before the crash. “The first call I got was that it was missing. It just disappeared,” Hilferty said. “The Black Hawk is a great helicopter. It is the workhorse of the Army. It has a great safety record,” Hilferty said.
“Maj. Daniel Bohr at Fort Drum said the aircraft last made radio contact shortly before 2 p.m. Rescue crews located the crash site at about 3:30 p.m. Hilferty said search crews were slowed getting to the scene by several feet of ice-covered snow in the crash area. The crash occurred about 150 yards from a dirt road, he said.
“Hazel Seery said she was driving home from work about 2 p.m. when she saw two Army helicopters. After living in the area for 33 years, she has become accustomed to the training flights, but this one was different. “There was one on the bottom and another helicopter flying on top of it. The one on the bottom’s nose was up and the one on the top was tipping down,” Seery said….” (The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “11 killed in copter crash.” 3-12-2003, p. 9.)
March 13: “Pittsburgh (AP)…. Pfc. Shawn A. Mayerscik, 22, was among 11 killed when the UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during a training exercise in New York….Another Pennsylvania soldier, Sgt. John L. Eichenlaub Jr., 24, of South Williamsport, was killed in the crash…” (Titusville Herald, PA. “Soldier killed in crash was from Oil City.” 3-13-2003, p. 3.)
March 13: “The Black Hawk disappeared from radar at about 1:50 p.m. EST Tuesday, and a search-and-rescue team found the wreckage in a snowy wooded area more than 1 1/2 hours later. One survivor was walking around the crash site when emergency teams arrived, said division spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty….
“Fort Drum, about 70 miles north of Syracuse, has been a major staging ground for troops preparing for possible war on Iraq. About 1,000 soldiers from Fort Drum have been deployed to the Persian Gulf.” (CNN. “Fort Drum mourns crash victims. 3-13-2003.)
March 14: “….The pilot on this flight was Chief Warrant Officer Kenneth L. Miller The copilot was Cpt. Christopher E. Britton.” (Post Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Investigators’ first report will take about two months.” 3-14-2003, A4.)
May: “…A Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a March 11 training mission at Fort Drum, N.Y., killing 11 soldiers and injuring two. At press time, the Army was still investigating the cause.
“Killed in the crash were: Capt. Christopher Britton of Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 1st Bn., 10th Aviation Regt.; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kenneth Miller and Spec. Barry Stephens of B Co., 2nd Bn., 10th Aviation Regt.; Staff Sgt. Brian Pavlich, Sgt. John Eichenlaub, Sgt. Joshua Harapko, Spec. Lucas Tripp, Pfc. Shawn Mayerscik, Pfc. Tommy Young, Pfc. Stryder Stoutenburg and Pfc. Andrew Stevens of C Co., 4th Bn., 31st Inf. Regt.” (VFW Magazine. “11 killed in Fort Drum crash.” May, 2003.)
Armyaircrews.com: “A/C was conducting a day multi-ship infantry battle skills training and orientation flight. A/C was Chalk 3 in flight of 3 and were heading back to the airfield when it impacted flat, marshy terrain at approx 30-deg. nose-low left bank attitude on the western edge of Ft. Drum. Cause of crash was undetermined.” (UH-60 Crews. Armyaircrews.com. 3-14-2012 modification.)
Sources
Baugher, Joseph F. 1990 USAF Serial Numbers. 8-19-2011 revision. Accessed 3-14-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1990.html
CNN. “Fort Drum mourns crash victims. 3-13-2003. Accessed 3-14-2012 at:
Post Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Investigators’ first report will take about two months.” 3-14-2003, A4. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=27555130
The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “11 killed in copter crash.” 3-12-2003, p. 9. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=103832934
Titusville Herald, PA. “Soldier killed in crash was from Oil City.” 3-13-2003, p. 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=106008435
UH-60 Crews. Armyaircrews.com. 3-14-2012 modification. Accessed 3-14-2012 at: http://www.armyaircrews.com/blackhawk.html
VFW Magazine. “11 killed in Fort Drum crash.” May, 2003. Accessed 3-14-2012 at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0LIY/is_9_90/ai_102025112/