The Pentagon mischaracterized the nature of a Black Hawk helicopter exercise that led to its crash and the killing of all five soldiers on board last November.
The Army reported that on Nov. 10, 2023, a Black Hawk helicopter was conducting aerial refueling training in the Mediterranean Sea when an emergency occurred, and it crashed into the ocean.
However, a Freedom of Information Act request obtained by the Washington Post revealed the Black Hawk was performing gunnery training alongside two MH-60 M Defensive Armed Penetrators at the time of the crash.
As members of the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the MH-60M crews were dispatched for “rotary wing fire support” in response to the Israel-Gaza war.
Given the Special Operations forces’ close proximity to Gaza, news of their attack exercise training would have garnered criticism by opponents of the United States backing of Israel.
The pilots were practicing an attack maneuver in which they would dive sharply before pulling up, according to Alan Mack, a retired Army master aviator who flew with the 160th SOAR.
“If you misjudged the pull, or you didn’t see the water, or the swells were higher than anticipated, then there’s no time for a Mayday call,” Mack said.
The report found that after firing its guns, the helicopter did not pull up in time before crashing into the water at 140 mph.
Lt. Col. Allie Scott told the outlet, “The loss was overwhelming, and there was an immediate need to communicate” the crash.
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Only two of the five bodies were recovered.
The five crew members killed were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento; Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire; Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona; and Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota.