Four members of the U.S. Army were pronounced dead after a military helicopter crashed Wednesday night in a wooded area of Washington state.
Authorities confirmed Friday that it was a routine training flight.
The accident at Capitol State Forest
#BREAKING: A military helicopter crashed in the Summit Lake area, west of Olympia, in the Capitol Forest. Flames making the rescue effort for the crew on board very difficult.@TheronZahnKOMO is LIVE in Thurston County with the latest on the rescue operation.#KOMONews pic.twitter.com/TXBgW1aL9E
– Holly Menino (@hollymenino) September 18, 2025
The incident occurred in Capitol State Forest, a heavily forested area located southwest of Seattle and frequented by both hikers and military trainees.
The helicopter involved was an MH-60 Black Hawk, an aircraft used for transport, reconnaissance and combat operations.
According to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the helicopter belonged to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), known as the “Night Stalkers,” an elite unit specializing in high-risk missions.
Difficulties in recovery
Military authorities explained that rescue efforts have been complicated by the dense vegetation and mountainous terrain in the area where the aircraft went down.
Su sacrificio jamás será olvidado
Teniente general Jonathan Braga
So far, the names of the four soldiers have not been released, as protocol requires first notifying the families before making it public.
Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Special Operations, said in a statement that “their sacrifice will never be forgotten” and highlighted the commitment of the fallen soldiers to national security.
Ongoing research
Buzzy
The incident has been described as a “plane crash”, although a joint investigation by the Army and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is underway to determine the exact causes of the incident.
Both the meteorological conditions at the time of the accident and the maintenance history of the aircraft will be analyzed.
MH-60 Black Hawk MH-60s have been in service since the 1980s and are considered a key part of U.S. military operations.
However, as with all heavy-duty aircraft, they have been involved in previous accidents, particularly during night training or in difficult terrain.
The accident has generated consternation among the military community and in the Seattle region, where several military bases have close ties to the civilian population.
For Hispanic families with service members, the news brings back into the conversation the everyday risks soldiers face even outside of combat scenarios.
According to Department of Defense figures, dozens of incidents related to military training are recorded each year, many of them linked to technical failures or extreme conditions during maneuvers.
Filed under: Military helicopter crashes
