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.
Spectrum News / WXXI News
The investigation continues into the Wednesday night crash of a military helicopter in Mendon, outside Rochester. Meanwhile, the three soldiers killed in that crash were honored on Thursday.
There were two processions involving a number of area first responders including police and fire vehicles as the bodies of the three National Guard soldiers were brought from the crash site to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Brighton.
The U.S. Army is now the lead investigating agency into the crash of the medevac Blackhawk helicopter which was on a training mission at the time.
3 National Guard members who died in New York helicopter crash identified Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
National Guard members die in NY helicopter crash
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Authorities have identified the three National Guard members killed Wednesday night when the military helicopter they were flying crashed in a Mendon field.
Killed were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial.
A New York Army National Guard UH-60 medical evacuation helicopter crashed on a routine training mission after 6:30 p.m. EST Wednesday in a field in Mendon.