WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has identified the five soldiers who died late Wednesday when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Honduras during a night training mission.
The soldiers involved in the accident were all members of the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, part of a counter-narcotics joint task force.
They include Spc. Bryan P. Abercrombie, 22, of Utah; Spc. Luke A. DeGroff, 22, of Panama City, Fla.; Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan C. Helman, 30, of Pennsylvania; Chief Warrant Officer Maurice A. Lammie, 34, of New Jersey; Sgt. 1st Class Anthony L. Sieng, 38, of Maryland.
Abercrombie was a flight instructor. DeGroff was a crew chief. Helman was a pilot. Lammie was a pilot. Sieng was a platoon sergeant and crew chief.
The helicopter went down about 8:55 p.m. Wednesday about three miles east of Santa Cruz near Lake Yajoa. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Black Hawk has suffered more than 20 fatal accidents in its 24-year history, claiming at least 64 lives. Roughly half the accidents occurred while pilots were using night-vision goggles.
The Army has suffered one-third more serious aviation accidents since October this year than it did over the same period last year, and twice as many as it has averaged for the last three years, according to the Army Safety Center.
A portion of the Army's UH-60 fleet is now reaching the end of its 25-year service life.
