Photo By Erin Thompson | L-R: S. Sgt. Leslie W. Martin, S. Sgt. Loren R. Woodrow, and Spc. Angela E. Niedermayer... read more read more
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by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
INTELLIGENCE SOLDIERS KILLED IN HELICOPTER ACCIDENT
On Jul. 8, 1997, eight soldiers conducting an aerial reconnaissance mission were killed when their UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter crashed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Three of these soldiers were members of the 313th MI Battalion: S. Sgts. Leslie W. Martin and Loren R. Woodrow and Spc. Angela E. Niedermayer.
Sergeant Martin, a 30-year-old signals intelligence radar interceptor, and Sergeant Woodrow, a 26-year-old counterintelligence specialist, were both veterans of the Gulf War of the early 1990s. Specialist Niedermayer, a 20-year-old non-communications interceptor and analyst, had enlisted in the Army only a year earlier in July 1996. She was assigned to the 313th MI Battalion in February 1997. The three MI soldiers were joined by 1st Lt. Timothy K. Alspach, physician’s assistant flight surgeon from 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, and four aviators from 2d Battalion, 82d Aviation Brigade, 82d Airborne Division: CWOs Michael D. Pannell and Brad J. Ronan, pilots; Sgt. Thomas J. Fenton, electronic warfare equipment operator; and Spc. Jack T. Tucker, crew chief.
On the morning of Jul. 8, 1997, the eight soldiers were assigned to perform two photo reconnaissance missions of the area around Fort Bragg, taking pictures of locations for future training exercises. The first mission was completed successfully, and the crew departed on their second flight in the early afternoon. At approximately 1415, a witness reported seeing a helicopter flip sideways in the air before crashing in a forested area near the intersection of Plank and Turkey roads. All eight passengers were killed instantly.
An investigation into the cause of the accident was quickly launched, though investigators from Fort Bragg and the U.S. Army Safety Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama, were hindered by the extensive damage to the helicopter caused by the crash and resulting fire. When no evidence of adverse weather or mechanical issues was discovered, investigators from the 82d Airborne Division announced the cause to be pilot error. While flying at a high speed, the altitude, weight, and atmospheric pressure caused the Black Hawk to begin descending at the same time one of the pilots attempted a right turn, causing one of the aircraft’s rotor blades to strike a tree. According to investigators, “the crash happened quickly and the crew had little time to react.”
Fort Bragg held a memorial service one week after the accident. Many members of the 82d Division remembered their aviators and flight surgeon Alspach, who was posthumously promoted to captain. Amongst the memorials, members of the 313th MI Battalion honored their fallen intelligence soldiers. Battalion Commander Maj. Greg Potter described Sergeant Woodrow as “always setting the standard” for intelligence soldiers. One of Woodrow’s friends reminisced about the signature black sunglasses he wore everywhere and remarked, “If I had to choose another NCO to go to war with it would be Woody.” Sergeant Martin was described as “spit-shined” and “polished,” a constant military intelligence professional. A friend of Specialist Niedermayer stated, “Nothing was too hard for her. …She never quit. She was as tough as they come and wanted everyone to know it. She never took the easy way out.”
All three soldiers are honored on the MI Corps Memorial Wall at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
New issues of This Week in MI History are published each week. To report story errors, ask questions, request previous articles, or be added to our distribution list, please contact: TR-ICoE-Command-Historian@army.mil.
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2025 13:22 |
| Story ID: | 510719 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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