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Three experienced Army National Guard aviators died last week following a helicopter crash near Mendon, New York.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial died after their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during a routine training mission Jan. 20. The incident is under investigation.
The three pilots were assigned to C Company, 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment, based at Rochester International Airport. They had been conducting night-vision goggle proficiency training at the time of the crash.
A statement from the New York National Guard said the soldiers were part of the Guard family.
“We mourn their loss, alongside their family members and loved ones,” officials said. “The New York National Guard will be there for these family members as they navigate these trying times. Our chaplains and casualty assistance officers will be with them whenever needed.”
Skoda, 54, of Rochester, New York, was a 35-year veteran who first flew the UH-1 after becoming a pilot in 1992. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 and 2019.
The senior instructor pilot was a mentor to soldiers and served as a technician at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport.
Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, New York, was a 20-year veteran who began his career as an infantryman before becoming a pilot in 2006. He served in Iraq in 2008-2009 and in Afghanistan in 2012-2013.
A senior instructor pilot, Koch was a civilian pilot for the New York State Police when not in uniform.
Prial, 30, also of Rochester, was commissioned in 2012 and served as a medical evacuation platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne Division, deploying to Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015. He later served as an instructor pilot at Fort Rucker, Alabama, before joining the Guard.
