The U.S. Army identified four soldiers killed when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training mission in Thurston County’s Capitol Forest last week, including two servicemembers from Washington state.
Sgt. Donavon Scott, 25, of Tacoma, and Sgt. Jadalyn Good, 23, of Mount Vernon, died alongside Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Cully, 35, of Sparta, Missouri, and Chief Warrant Officer Three Andrew Kraus, 39, of Sanibel, Florida.
The helicopter from Joint Base Lewis-McChord crashed in the Summit Lake area west of Olympia during what Army officials described as a routine training flight. The soldiers were presumed dead Friday following the incident, which the Army classified as an “aviation mishap” under investigation.
All four servicemembers belonged to the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers,” an elite unit specializing in special operations aviation missions.
Col. Stephen Smith, the unit commander, praised the fallen soldiers’ service. “These exceptional warriors embodied the unwavering dedication, selflessness, and excellence that define the very spirit of the Army and Army Special Operations,” Smith stated.
Sgt. Good enlisted in 2021 as a UH-60 helicopter repairer before joining the 160th SOAR. She served as a crew chief after completing specialized training in 2023, accumulating over 730 flight hours and achieving Basic-Mission-Qualified status while participating in continental and overseas training missions.
Sgt. Scott, also a UH-60 helicopter repairer, earned Fully-Mission-Qualified status as a crew chief with over 776 flying hours. He deployed twice to support Operation Inherent Resolve and participated in crisis response operations.
Chief Warrant Officer Cully was commissioned in 2013 from Missouri State University before becoming an aviation warrant officer and UH-60M pilot. He completed instructor pilot training and deployed twice to European Command operations before joining the 160th SOAR in 2024.
Chief Warrant Officer Kraus served in the Marine Corps as a CH-46 maintainer from 2008 to 2013 before joining the Army in 2017. He worked as an aeromedical evacuation pilot in Germany before his 2023 assignment to the 160th SOAR and recently graduated from the Aviation Maintenance Test Pilot Course.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment provides aviation support for the most sensitive military operations, requiring extensive training and maintaining the highest operational standards among Army aviation units.
The crash investigation continues as the Army works to determine the cause of the training mission accident that claimed four highly skilled aviators from the military’s most elite helicopter unit.
