SEOUL, Republic of Korea – A U.S. Army aircraft and its crew, assigned to 2-2 Assault
Helicopter Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry ROK/U.S. Combined
Division, provided initial incident response and assistance upon witnessing a Republic
of Korea firefighting helicopter crash into the Han River, east of Seoul, on Dec. 1.
Capt. Julia McKusick, the Alpha Company 2-2 AHB commander, and a Colleyville, Texas native, and 1st Lt. Melissa Taylor, the UH-60 pilot-in-command, and a
Topsfield, Massachusetts native, were flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, on their
way to a field training exercise around 11:30 a.m., when they observed the crash.
“I was the pilot in command of the helicopter. When we saw what happened,
there was no doubt in my mind we needed to do everything we could to help out that
crashed helicopter crew,” Taylor said.
Taylor and her team were the first to witness the crash. They remained, hovering
overhead, and contacted the Seoul Airbase traffic control tower. They reported the
helicopter’s tail number, which allowed incident responders to quickly identify the
downed aircraft and its crew. The pilots also reported seeing two people emerge from
the aircraft in the water.
Soon after the crash, rescue boats arrived and the U.S. aircraft resumed
movement to their destination, McKusick said.
“There’s an assumed kinship between all aviators, regardless of whether they are
Korean or American,” said Lt. Col. Keith Sandoval, the 2-2 AHB commander. “I feel
fortunate Capt. McKusick and 1st Lt. Taylor were there to provide such a quick
response and render whatever aid they could to our fellow Korean aviators.”
Soldiers from 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade train regularly so they can be ready
to provide critical assistance on the rare occasion of a helicopter mishap. The safety of
Republic of Korea citizens and U.S. Army aircrews and Soldiers are top priorities for the brigade, which is why frequent, tough, and realistic training is necessary.
“We were surprised, but we’ve trained for these types of scenarios, and we knew
exactly what we needed to do,” McKusick said. “Our immediate concern was getting
help to the crashed helicopter crew.”
Also on the UH-60 Blackhawk were Sgt. Tereon Dorsey, a College Park, Georgia
native, and Pfc. Shane Palitza, a Frisco, Texas native. Both are UH-60 Blackhawk
helicopter repairers.
2nd Combat Aviation Brigade is headquartered at Camp Humphreys, Republic of
Korea and is a part of the 2nd Infantry ROK/US Combined Division. 2nd CAB’s mission
is to provide superior air support to U.S. and ROK ground forces.