Crime & Safety
Soldiers Killed In Helicopter Crash Id'ed By MN National Guard
The Minnesota National Guard identified the three soldiers killed in the Thursday afternoon helicopter crash.
ST. CLOUD, MN — The three soldiers killed on Thursday afternoon when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Minnesota were identified on Saturday by the Minnesota National Guard.
Officials said the three soldiers were Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers Jr., 28, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord, 30, and Sgt. Kort M. Plantenberg, 28. According to the national guard, the three soldiers had returned from a nine month deployment to the Middle East in May 2019 where they conducted medical evacuations in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve.
They were assigned to a unit based in St. Cloud.
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The chopper took flight from the Army Aviation Safety Facility in St. Cloud, and crashed southwest of the city.
The Army National Guard said it lost contact with the Black Hawk just after 2 p.m. The chopper was conducting a maintenance test flight. The National Guard and local emergency services then began trying to locate the Black Hawk.
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William Bornhoft contributed to this report.
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