Human error caused deadly crash of NY National Guard helicopter

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Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls. (NY National Guard) ​

NEW YORK - Human error caused the crash of an Army National Guard helicopter during a January training exercise in upstate New York that killed three soldiers, National Guard officials have determined.

Actions taken by the crew during the Jan. 20 training flight "put the aircraft in a position where it became unrecoverable," Col. Richard Goldenberg, public affairs officer for the New York National Guard, said at a news briefing in Rochester on Thursday.

The UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter crashed in a farmer’s field near Mendon, south of Rochester, at about 6:30 p.m., officials said.

National Guard officials said the crew had been conducting night vision goggle proficiency training.

Killed in the crash were all three soldiers on board: chief warrant officers Steven Skoda and Daniel Prial, both of Rochester, and Christian Koch of Honeoye Falls.

RELATED: 3 dead in helicopter crash in western New York, National Guard says

The families of the three, all experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, have been notified of the findings of the Guard's investigation into the crash, Goldenberg said.

"Military aviation is inherently risky due to the complex flying environments that our pilots and crews have to prepare for," Goldenberg said. "It can also be an unforgiving environment, with life and death decisions and actions, no matter the circumstance, whether mechanical, weather or crew related."

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A memorial was set up in Mendon in tribute to the soldiers with three flags at half staff representing each soldier. 

With the Associated Press