WASHINGTON (April 19, 2017)—One crew member died and two were injured when a UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during a routine training flight, April 17 at approximately 1:37 p.m., at Breton Bay Golf Course in Leonardtown, Maryland.
Spc. Jeremy Darrell Tomlin, 22, a UH-60 crew chief assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina died at the scene.
Tomlin was pronounced dead at 1:34 p.m., by a St. Mary's County first responder.
Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Nicholas, a pilot, and Capt. Terikazu Onoda, Charlie Company commander, were injured in the incident. Both are listed in critical condition at the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
Both service members are assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion.
The crash site was secured shortly after the incident.
At the time of the incident, three UH-60 Black Hawks were conducting this routine training mission. Only one helicopter was involved in the incident, the other helicopters were not impacted and there were no injuries to their crew members.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. A team from the Army Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama arrived on site at 4:23 p.m., to begin the investigation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with our soldiers, their families and friends," said Col Amanda Azubuike, director of public affairs, Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. "Our top priority is the health of our soldiers and ensuring that their family members are provided the support they need."
"The families of the service members request that we respect their privacy during this challenging time," said Azubuike.
The 12th Aviation Battalion is responsible for providing aviation support to the MDW, federal agencies, and non-Department of Defense agencies and technical rescue support within the region. Due to these requirements and other missions, the battalion must remain trained and ready to support anywhere within the region.
The Army investigation team has requested that anyone that may have photos or video of the incident to upload their imagery to: safe.amrdec.army.mil/SAFE/. Use the non-CAC user entry. Note: file limit is 2 GB. Any questions specific to this request should be directed to Mr. Michael Negard, (334) 470-1884 or (334) 255-3770.