U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) in flight over an Alaskan mountain range near Fort Wainwright, Alaska, June 3, 2019. Apaches in Alaska require the use of helicopter skis that displace the aircraft weight, preventing the aircraft from rolling over or getting stuck during a muskeg landing. (U.S. Army photo by CW2 Cameron Roxberry)
LOGAN — The U.S. Army identified on Saturday the three soldiers who were killed when two helicopters collided in Alaska while returning from a training mission. One of them was a man from North Logan.
Killed in Thursday’s crash were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Robert Eramo, 39, of Oneonta, New York; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle D. McKenna, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Duane Wayment, 32, of North Logan, Utah.
According to family members, Wayment leaves behind a wife and three boys. Funeral services are still being arranged.
A fourth soldier was injured and was taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and was listed in stable condition. He was not identified Saturday.
The helicopters were headed to Fort Wainwright from a mission in the Donnelly Training Area when they crashed at 1:39 p.m. Thursday, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Healy.
The U.S. Army announced Friday that it has grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers died within the last month in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky.
The Army said in a statement, “The move grounds all Army aviators, except those participating in critical missions, until they complete the required training.”
Lt. Col. Matthew C. Carlsen, the 1-25th AB commander said, “The battalion is devastated and mourning the loss of three of our best Their loss can’t be compared to the suffering felt by the soldiers’ families”
A Safety Investigation Team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, based at Fort Novosel, Alabama, is leading the safety investigation, officials said in an email.
Carlsen said, “The entire team has come together to focus our thoughts, prayers, and actions to provide and sustain them with whatever comfort and support they need at this time, and I promise that this will continue long into the future.”
Department of Defense instructions and Army regulations prohibit the investigators from releasing any information to the public concerning the causes, analysis or internal recommendations, the statement said.
Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division said, “The loss of these Soldiers is devastating and is being felt by family, friends and military communities across Alaska. The families of Fort Wainwright and 1-25 are as strong a team as I’ve ever seen. Our hearts are heavy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and loved ones of the fallen.”