All 4 service members on helicopter that crashed believed to be dead, officials say

All four service members involved in the helicopter crash on Wednesday night are believed to be dead, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command said Friday afternoon.

A military helicopter from Joint Base Lewis-McChord with four service members aboard crashed near Summit Lake in western Thurston County around 9 p.m. Sept. 17.

The four soldiers were assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, or “Night Stalkers.” Recovery efforts are underway, and the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

The names of the soldiers have not been released yet.

On site law enforcement, firefighters, and specialty personnel from JBLM are conducting recovery efforts.

This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 1:31 PM with the headline "All 4 service members on helicopter that crashed believed to be dead, officials say."

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription