Victims of Texas border helicopter crash identified
Authorities have identified the three service members who died when a helicopter that flew over the U.S.-Mexico border crashed Friday in a field in southern Texas.
National Guard soldiers Casey Frankoski, 28, and John Grassia, 30, along with Chris Luna, a 49-year-old border patrol agent, were killed in the wreck near Rio Grande City, according to the National Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement. An aircraft crew chief with the New York National Guard, whose name has not been released, was injured in the crash and remains in the hospital.
The UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the federal southwest border support mission crashed Friday at about 2:50 p.m. local time, during an operation near Rio Grande City, 41 miles west of McAllen, according to the Joint Task Force North. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, said in a statement that he was “shocked and devastated” by the deaths of Grassia and Frankoski. He sent prayers for the quick recovery of the crew chief and condolences to Luna’s family.
Frankoski, of Rensselaer, New York, enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in October 2016 and quickly rose through the ranks, picking up more than 10 service medals and military awards, according to the New York National Guard. She trained to become a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
In 2013, Grassia, of Schenectady, New York, enlisted in the New York Army National Guard as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter maintenance specialist, according to New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs. He was promoted to the rank of chief warrant
Luna Frankoski
Authorities stage near where a helicopter flying over the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas crashed, killing two National Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent, Friday. KRGV VIA AP
officer 2 in 2020 after serving as part of the guard’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grassia was a state trooper since April 2022, according to a Facebook post by the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association.
Both Frankoski and Grassia had served in Kuwait and most recently were assigned to a company of the 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment, which is part of Joint Task Force North, according to New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs.
Troy A. Miller, a senior official performing the duties of commissioner with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said he was “heartbroken” by Luna’s death and that he and the entire agency were mourning alongside Luna’s family, including his wife and two children.
The UH-72 is a twin-engine helicopter typically used in support of local and state government and law enforcement. It does not conduct missions in combat or hostile environments, according to New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs.