US Remains of 3 soldiers recovered after National Guard helicopter crash in New York

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The remains of three National Guard members killed in a helicopter training accident in upstate New York The troops died when their UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed in a The names of the soldiers have not been released. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

MENDON, N . Y . — The remains of three National Guard members killed in a helicopter training accident were recovered and were being transported from The troops died when their UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed in a farmer's field in rural Mendon, south of Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The remains of three National Guard members killed Wednesday night in a military helicopter crash were removed from the site Thursday morning and transported to a medical examiner's office.

© Shawn Dowd/Democrat and Chronicle Monroe County Sheriffs and New York State Police salute as the bodies of three National Guardsmen arrive at the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office in Brighton Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The three were killed when their helicopter crashed on a training flight in Mendon Wednesday night.

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.

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A HELICOPTER of the New York Army National Guard crashed in upstate New York on Wednesday night, killing three soldiers . New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that he was “devastated” by the crash that killed “three of New York 's bravest during a training mission.”

A medical evacuation helicopter conducting a routine training mission in New York has crashed , killing three National Btwn Cheese Factory & Boughton Hill Rd. remains closed. " National Guard members are our citizen soldiers who voluntarily serve and protect both here and abroad, and I

The helicopter, a Black Hawk, was based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Greater Rochester International Airport.

Two multi-vehicle motorcades escorted the deceased soldiers through several Monroe County communities Thursday. Sheriff's spokeswoman Amy Young said the first procession carried two soldiers and the second departed Mendon with the body of the third soldier about 90 minutes later.

© Shawn Dowd/Democrat and Chronicle Law enforcement personnel escort the bodies of National Guardsmen to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office in Brighton, N.Y., on Jan. 21. Three Guard members were killed when their helicopter crashed on a training flight in Mendon the night before.

According to preliminary 911 reports, "there were calls of sputtering sounds of an engine and that the aircraft was flying very low, more low than normal," Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said.

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A UH-60 helicopter . Three US soldiers were killed after an Army National Guard helicopter crashed in Mendon, New York , during a routine training mission in the evening, according to the state's National Guard . The incident is under investigation.

The remains of three National Guard members killed in a helicopter training accident were recovered and being transported from the western New The troops died when their UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed in a farmer's field in rural Mendon, south of Rochester

Shortly after the calls, there were reports of a crash.

The helicopter crashed into a field. It did not appear that any of the houses nearby were damaged.

© Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Investigators are on the scene of a fatal military helicopter crash near West Bloomfield Road in Mendon on Thursday, Jan, 21, 2021.

Mendon Fire Chief Bill Kessler said the helicopter was on fire when first responders arrived.

Baxter said authorities contacted the control tower at the Greater Rochester International Airport but had not reviewed whether those on board the helicopter were communicating with anyone in the tower at the time of the crash.

The helicopter's flight path was not immediately available.

A National Guard spokesman said that soldiers routinely conduct training flights from the Rochester airport, departing and returning to the site as crews must maintain a certain number of flying hours each month.

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Three National Guardsmen were killed on Wednesday after a military helicopter crashed in New York state. A UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed " National Guard members are our citizen soldiers who voluntarily serve and protect both here and abroad, and I extend prayers

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A tough blow to 'a very tightknit unit'

The names of the three people killed in the crash had not been released as of Thursday morning. Authorities confirmed that the three were the only people on board the helicopter.

The aircraft was assigned to C Company of the 1st Battalion, 171st General Support Aviation Battalion, according to the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

The unit includes about 80 soldiers, most of whom reside in the Rochester region, and is part of an air ambulance company. Typically, the airmen's job is to retrieve and evacuate injured soldiers.

"This is a very tightknit unit," Baxter said, and a lot of people and family responded to the National Guard Center on the backside of the airport Wednesday. "This is a heavy, heavy burden upon all of us."

A U.S. Army veteran, Baxter said, "These are our freedom providers ... just showing again that freedom is not free. We lost three great Americans in the service of our country."

© Emily Fasel A military helicopter crashed near West Bloomfield and Cheese Factory roads in Mendon on Jan. 20, 2021. Three soldiers aboard died in the crash.

The investigation

A New York State Police helicopter assisted in the search for any potential survivors from the air Wednesday night, hovering over the crash site.

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The debris field extends "over what I'd describe as a few city blocks," roughly hundreds of feet in each direction, Baxter said.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office leads the preliminary investigation, Baxter said, then the New York National Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration will take over for a joint investigation to determine why the Black Hawk crashed.

The helicopter

Developed by aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky, Black Hawk helicopters have been a part of the U.S. military since 1978, according to the U.S. Army website.

The UH-60 has the capacity to hold up to 2,640 pounds or 11 combat-equipped soldiers. It primarily serves as air support in situations such as medical evacuation, air assault, general support and special operations in combat.

In December 2019, three National Guard members were killed in a crash on a maintenance test flight in Minnesota. Aviation safety experts told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune that Black Hawk mishap rates are low.

Contributing: Natalia Rodriguez Medina, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Follow reporter Victoria Freile on Twitter: @vfreile

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Remains of 3 soldiers recovered after National Guard helicopter crash in New York