Two Tennessee Army National Guard pilots were killed Sunday when their helicopter made a “hard landing” in northern Iraq, officials confirmed today.
Capt. Marcus Ray Alford of Knoxville and Chief Warrant Officer Billie Jean Grinder of Gallatin died in the incident, according to Maj. Gen. Max Haston, adjutant general of the Tennessee Guard.
“Words cannot express my extreme sorrow at the loss of these outstanding soldiers and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families and friends of these valiant warriors,” Maj. Gen. Haston said in a release.
The soldiers were flying in a Kiowa Warrior helicopter and landing at the Qayyarah Airfield West 30 miles south of Mosul, Iraq. They were members of Troop C 1/230th Air Cavalry based in Louisville, Tenn.
The accident is under investigation.