A helicopter owned by a National Guard in Tennessee reportedly crashed on Wednesday, leaving all crew members on board dead.
According to the Tennessee National Guard, the
Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Alabama Highway 53 and Burwell Road in Madison County.
In an interview with NPR, the county sheriff’s reportedly told the outlet that there were no survivors and that the families of the victims are being notified.
Amid the investigation, the authorities discovered that there were two crew members on board the helicopter when the crash took place.
The Tennessee National Guard also revealed that the crash occurred during a training flight and that no other service members or civilians were harmed.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Tennessee National Guardsmen, and our prayers are with their families during this heartbreaking tragedy.” Brigadier General Warner Ross, Tennessee’s adjutant general said in a statement.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee also said he and his wife are “saddened by the tragic loss of two Tennessee National Guard members. Please join us in lifting their families up in prayer & support during this time of unspeakable grief.”
Maria & I are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two Tennessee National Guard members. Please join us in lifting their families up in prayer & support during this time of unspeakable grief.— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) February 16, 2023
Moreover, National Guard Bureau spokesperson Robert Carver claimed that it’s “premature to discuss possible causes of the crash” and “the incident will be investigated.”
On Wednesday, the deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Department were still at the crash site. They announced that authorities will block off a long stretch of Highway 53 until at least Thursday afternoon.
The report comes as family members and colleagues gathered in Huntington Beach on Sunday to honor the life of Nicholas Vella, a Huntington Beach Police Department officer who reportedly died one year ago in a helicopter crash.
The Police Department remembered Vella as a “selfless and driven police officer and man.”
In a statement released by Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland 2 days ago, he claimed that the community takes “great pride” in the police department and their work in the surrounding community.
“His law enforcement brothers and sisters make clear what a tremendous father, husband,
son, friend, and officer he was,” Strickland said in the statement.
