Three pilots lost in Black Hawk crash near Boise were all fathers February 4
Clockwise from left: Chief Warrant Officer 3 George “Geoff” Laubhan, 39; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Peltzer, 43; and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jesse Anderson, 43. (Idaho National Guard) All three Army National Guardsmen killed in a helicopter crash Tuesday night over mountainous Idaho terrain were fathers, and two were instructor pilots. The crew’s UH-60 Black Hawk crashed south of Lucky Peak near Boise when it was supposed to be returning from training. The weather was poor that night, with snow and fog obscuring aerial search efforts, but Guard officials said the reason for the mishap remains under investigation.
Three pilots lost in Black Hawk crash near Boise were all fathers February 4 Clockwise from left: Chief Warrant Officer 3 George “Geoff” Laubhan, 39; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Peltzer, 43; and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jesse Anderson, 43. (Idaho National Guard) All three Army National Guardsmen killed in a helicopter crash Tuesday night over mountainous Idaho terrain were fathers, and two were instructor pilots. The crew’s UH-60 Black Hawk crashed south of Lucky Peak near Boise when it was supposed to be returning from training. The weather was poor that night, with snow and fog obscuring aerial search efforts, but Guard officials said the reason for the mishap remains under investigation.
Three pilots killed in Army Guard helicopter crash near Boise February 3 A UH-60 Black Hawk takes off during Idaho Army National Guard training pictured here. (Thomas Alvarez/Idaho National Guard) Three Idaho Army National Guard pilots were killed after their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed south of Lucky Peak near Boise not long after 8 p.m. Tuesday. The crew was conducting a routine training flight, though the weather that night was poor due to snowfall and fog, according to Guard officials. The crash marks the second time in less than a month that a three-man National Guard crew has been lost to a Black Hawk mishap.
Jan 23, 2021
Pictured is Steven Skodaâs high school senior photo from the Baronet. (Source: 1985 Johnstown High School yearbook)
MENDON (AP) One of the three National Guard members killed in helicopter crash was originally from Johnstown.
Killed in the crash were Chief Warrant Officer 5 Steven Skoda, 54, of Rochester, and formerly of Johnstown, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christian Koch, 39, of Honeoye Falls, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30 of Rochester, according to the National Guard.
Skoda was the son of the late Frank and Barbara Skoda of Johnstown and was a 1985 graduate of Johnstown High School.
The three were experienced pilots with past deployments to Afghanistan, officials said Friday.