Two Tennessee National Guard pilots were killed after their Black Hawk helicopter crashed onto an Alabama highway Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The crash occurred on Highway 53 near the intersection of Burrell Road in Madison County, near the Alabama-Tennessee border, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Tennessee National Guardsmen, and our prayers are with their families during this heartbreaking tragedy," Brig. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee's Adjutant General, said in a press release. "We ask Tennesseans to join us in supporting their families during this time of unthinkable grief."
The Madison County Sheriff's office received a distress call on its 911 system around 3 p.m., spokesperson Brent Patterson told ABC News.
First responders who arrived first at the scene found the helicopter "engulfed in flames," Patterson said. The aircraft was a "total loss," and given the extent of visible damage, they determined there were no survivors, he said.
The pilots were identified by the Tennessee National Guard on Thursday as Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Wadham of Joelton, who had 15 years of service, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Danny Randolph of Murfreesboro, who had 13 years of service.
The soldiers were assigned to A Company, 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, from Nashville’s Berry Field Air National Guard Base.
They were approaching the Huntsville Executive Airport "when the aircraft rapidly descended and impacted the ground," the Tennessee National Guard said.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/survivors...ter-crashes-alabama-highway/story?id=97237264
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