PICTURED: National Guard names three service members killed after their helicopter crashed during a training mission in New York
Chief Warrant Officer Steven Skoda, 54; Chief Warrant Officer Christian Koch, 39; and Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Prial, 30, died on Wednesday
They were killed after their UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed into a field in upstate New York during a training exercise
There were no survivors in the crash
All three were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan and had won a litany of honors between them
Witnesses who called 911 reported hearing the sounds of an engine sputtering and said the aircraft was flying very low
3 NY Guardsmen killed in helicopter crash were experienced pilots
By Staff and Wire Reports
Published article
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls. (NY National Guard)
NEW YORK - The three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in an upstate New York field this week were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, officials said Friday.
Killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, according to the National Guard.
Spectrum News / WXXI News
BREAKING FRIDAY MORNING: The National Guard has identified those killed in Wednesday night s crash of a military helicopter in Mendon, outside Rochester. They were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda
Credit New York National Guard
Skoda was described as a 35-year veteran of the Army and the New York Army National Guard who was single and lived in Rochester. He served in the Active Army 1985-1987. He joined the National Guard 1987. He also earned numerous medals and citations. Skoda was a veteran of the Afghanistan War who deployed there in 2013 and 2019, said a Guard press release. He was an experienced helicopter pilot who served as a UH-60 senior instructor pilot and an instrument flight instructor and a UH-60 maintenance test pilot. He had almost 5,000 flying hours.
Three-man crew lost in Guard helicopter crash were experienced pilots The Associated Press January 22 Three National Guardsmen were killed when their helicopter crashed in Mendon, NY, Jan. 20, 2021. They are, from left: Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39 and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30. (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs via AP) MENDON, N.Y. The three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in an upstate New York field this week were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, officials said Friday. Killed in the crash were New York residents Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, according to the National Guard.
MENDON, N.Y. (AP) The three National Guard members killed when a helicopter crashed in an upstate New York field this week were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, officials said Friday.
Killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of 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 p.m. Wednesday. There were no survivors.
The crew had been conducting night vision goggle proficiency training in the local training area, the National Guard said. The helicopter was based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport.