A fatal helicopter crash that killed two New York National Guard soldiers and a border patrol agent in March occurred seconds after the helicopter began to rotate in the air as it hovered nearly 200 feet up above the ground, Army officials determined.
However, the Army did not release details on why the helicopter began to spin or how the crew reacted.
During a routine flight near the U.S.-Mexico border, the UH-72 Lakota experienced “unanticipated yaw,” which caused it to rapidly fall 195 feet out of the sky into a crushing impact that killed both pilots and the border agent. The helicopter’s crew chief survived the crash but with significant life-threatening injuries, officials said in a release.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey N. Frankoski, 28, from Rensselaer, New York and Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Grassia, 30, from Schenectady, New York, died in the March 8 crash near Sullivan City, Texas, while supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations. Border Patrol agent Christopher Luna was also killed in the crash.
According to a safety bulletin released with the investigation, unanticipated yaw “continues to be a contributing factor to some accidents.” The condition can be caused by crosswinds in helicopters like the Lakota, which is the Army version of the popular Airbus H145.
The Army Combat Readiness Center’s investigation provided to Task & Purpose through a Freedom of Information Act was heavily redacted, with descriptions and analysis of specific causes of the accident removed. Army officials blocked out descriptions of any actions that the pilots might have taken in response to the unanticipated yaw or to maintain control of the helicopter.
The report also noted that Frankoski did not have her seat belt fastened during the mishap. She was found 50 feet away from the aircraft. Grassia and Luna were found onboard.
New York Guard officials told Task & Purpose that the crew was not to blame for the crash. Both Frankoski and Grassia had logged about 500 flying hours in their careers.
“The crew’s actions were not a contributing cause of the accident, and each member was properly trained,” Lt. Col. Jean Marie Kratzer, a spokesperson for the New York National Guard said in a statement. “The performance, health, qualifications, and training of all personnel involved in the crash were appropriate and up to standard.”
“Pilots are trained to recognize this and react to this flight characteristic,” Jimmie Cummings, a spokesperson for the Army Combat Readiness Center said in a statement to Task & Purpose, adding that it was a topic of focus during the Army’s “aviation stand up” in which the service’s aviation director directed aviation units in April to conduct more training after an uptick in accidents — 12 crashes and 10 deaths over a six-month period.
A two-hour flight
The New York crew was assigned to 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment, based at Albany International Airport in Latham, New York. The unit specializes in flying missions to support civilian agencies and was operating as part of Joint Task Force North, supporting Customs and Border Protection operations on the southwest border.
The unit had sent 21 soldiers to Texas the previous October to support the federal military mission. The New York Army National Guard has flown UH-72 Lakota helicopters at the southwest border to support border agents since 2014, though the aircraft that crashed was assigned to the D.C. National Guard.
The crew’s mission was to provide aerial reconnaissance, detection and monitoring support to U.S. border patrol personnel, according to the investigation. The report was first covered by NewsChannel 13, a television station in Albany, New York.
Grassia was the pilot in command and had 530 rotary wing flight hours in his career. Frankoski, another pilot, had 471 flight hours.
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According to the report, the planned route had the crew depart from the South Texas International Airport at Edinburg and fly to McAllen International Airport to drop off an Army flight operations liaison for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine blue room operations. At the airport, the crew picked up agent Luna.
Less than two hours into the mission, while at 195 ft above ground level, “the aircraft entered an uncontrollable right-hand spin and crashed,” according to the investigation.
Sections of the report dealing directly with the crash were redacted, including the safety board’s analysis of what factors contributed to the crash. The investigation included a safety notice about unanticipated yaw, a well-known flight issue with single-rotor helicopters flying at low speeds, and is “dependent usually on the direction and strength of the wind.”
According to the report, the Army Crew Chief was injured in the crash. The National Guard did not name the injured soldier for privacy reasons but New York Attorney General Letitia James identified him as Jacob Pratt in a post on X.
Kratzer said that the pilots’ families were briefed by senior commanders on the investigation.
Unanticipated Yaw
The safety notice notes that pilots should be able to manage the yaw instability by being aware of the wind direction. The notice recommends that pilots maintain pressure on the aircraft’s left pedal since the “most probable reason” for these types of accidents is “a late and too limited pedal input.” If the left pedal has no effect, it indicates a “full lost of thrust” and crews should immediately land the aircraft.
“Where this type of unanticipated yaw situation is encountered, it may be rapid and most often will be in the opposite direction of the rotation of the main rotor blades,” the report states. “Swift corrective action is needed in response otherwise loss of control and possible accident may result.”
In a FOIA response letter to Task & Purpose explaining the redactions, Brig. Gen. Jonathan Byrom, commander of the readiness center, said: “The purpose of this exemption is so individuals involved in the accident and accident investigation process may freely and openly provide uninhibited opinions and recommendations in order to ensure that all safety factors are considered and fully evaluated, which helps the Army prevent future accidents.”
The aircraft experienced a hard landing, resulting in more than $7 million in damages to the helicopter and its components, according to the investigation.