On Nov. 13, 2023, the Department of Defense announced the deaths of five U.S. Army Special Operations aviation Soldiers killed during routine flight training as a result of a helicopter crash, Nov. 10 in the Mediterranean Sea. There were no indications the crash was caused by enemy / hostile actions.
The MH-60 Blackhawk was conducting routine flight training which included aerial refueling and aerial gunnery during nighttime conditions over water. The helicopter contacted the water resulting in the loss of the crew and the helicopter.
The deceased are:
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38 of Clarksville, Tennessee
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California
Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire
Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona
Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the fallen. The U.S. Army's Combat Readiness Center has conducted an investigation into the incident.
For more information regarding the incident, members of the media may contact the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs office at 910-432-6005, or by email at PAO-USASOC@socom.mil.
November 14, 2024 (Eds. note: This news release was updated Nov. 19, 2024, to reflect new information "The MH-60 Blackhawk was conducting routine flight training which included aerial refueling and aerial gunnery during nighttime conditions over water. The helicopter contacted the water resulting in the loss of the crew and the helicopter," which replaces a description of the events that reads "the MH-60 Blackhawk was conducting aerial refueling training when the aircraft experienced an in-flight emergency, resulting in the crash.")