Tennessee National Guard ID’s vets killed in Black Hawk crash

The Tennessee National Guard identified the two veteran soldiers killed in Wednesday’s fiery Black Hawk helicopter crash on an Alabama highway, including one who was a father of two.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Wadham and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Danny Randolph were conducting a training flight in Huntsville when they plummeted to the ground, the military said.

The pair — the only two passengers on board — were approaching the Huntsville Executive Airport “when the aircraft rapidly descended and impacted the ground,” according to a preliminary investigation.

The helicopter burst into flames and both soldiers died on impact. No civilians were harmed.

“Words cannot express my sorrow for the loss of these two Tennessee National Guardsmen,” Brig. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s adjutant general, said in a statement.

“It is felt not only within the ranks of the Tennessee National Guard, but across our entire military community. We ask that Tennesseans continue to join us in prayer for these soldiers’ families amid this tragic loss.”

Wadham and Randolph were both stationed at Nashville’s Berry Field Air National Guard base and were assigned to A Company, 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion.

Wadham, a father of two from Joelton, Tennessee, had 15 years of service under his belt, the department said. Randolph of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, had 13 years.

Federal and state authorities are still investigating what led to the accident.

Witnesses said the helicopter exploded upon hitting the ground and heard a resounding boom that sounded like a car muffler.

“I just hollered, ‘My Lord! My God!’ Because nobody could have survived that,” Tammy Adams told WAAY.

Videos taken at the scene showed a thick plume of black smoke billowing from what appears to be a median on the highway as a bright fire rages close to the ground.

Footage taken miles from the scene shows the heavy smog floating hundreds of feet in the sky above homes.

The Madison County sheriff’s office warned residents that debris could be scattered across areas near the crash site. The highway has been closed since the crash and will likely not reopen until Friday.