TRIGG COUNTY, Ky. (WKRN) — Nine Fort Campbell soldiers were killed on March 29 when two Black Hawk helicopters collided and crashed in Trigg County during a nighttime training mission.
They were members of the 101st Airborne Division: Sgt. Isaacjohn Gayo, Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, Sgt. David Solinas Jr., Staff Sgt. Joshua "Caleb" Gore, Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, Warrant Officer Jeffery Barnes, Warrant Officer Aaron Healy, Chief Warrant Officer Rusten Smith, and Chief Warrant Officer Zachary Esparza,
In the wake of the crash, an outpouring of support for the families and a community so deeply intertwined with service members.
"Here in Kentucky and I know in Tennessee, we love Fort Campbell. We love all the people who live here and work here; they're apart of our community of who we are. Their loss is our loss," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said after the crash. "We're going to stand with both that are here today, and we are going to make sure these families know they are loved and they are not alone."
"We're one big community here, the city, the county, Fort Campbell. We're friends, these are people in our community, in our schools," said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden in the wake of the crash.
Another tragic loss for the community came in November. Five members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) based at Fort Campbell were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. The U.S. European Command said the aircraft "suffered a mishap" during a training mission.
"A training exercise crash is always particularly devastating. It's sort of like they went to work that day, and they're expected to come home," attorney Timothy Loranger said.
Loranger, an attorney with the firm Wisner Baum, specializes in aviation law. He's a Marine Corps veteran and licensed pilot who also worked as an aircraft mechanic.
"When a helicopter, like a Black Hawk, crashes, it could be a mechanical issue, it could be a piloting issue, it could be a weather issue. There are many factors that have to go into analyzing and determining what the cause is," Loranger said. "You have to allow the investigation to occur. The military does a very good job of looking into these incidents and determining what the cause was."
Loranger has represented clients in cases involving Black Hawk crashes. He encourages the family members to be patient as they await a final report.
"Sometimes what happens is they get updates, and they hear that the report is coming out in a month, for example. And it doesn't happen and it can be very emotional, an emotional roller coaster for them," Loranger said. "Perhaps think about reaching out to an aviation attorney to ask them questions in advance of their briefing. That way, they can know what to expect when they go in and know what questions are important to ask."
The Feres Doctrine bars service members and their families from suing the government for injuries sustained while on active duty. However, if mechanical issues are to blame, lawsuits can be brought against equipment manufacturers.
"I talk to people who've been affected by these crashes, and the most important thing to them is that something be done to avoid a repeat," Loranger said.
That's why Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for a federal investigation in the wake of two Black Hawk helicopter crashes in 2021. The results were released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in April of this year.
"The safety of our service members must be our number one, our highest priority," Schumer said after the report came out. "Our pilots spend too long waiting for repairs and then miss out on valuable time training in the skies."
The report focused on Army and Air National Guard helicopters and found more than 90% of crashes were caused by human error. Among other things, the GAO recommended adding more maintenance crews to repair helicopters quicker, so pilots can complete their required flight hours.