Alabama man reportedly on missing Army helicopter; search continues off coast of Hawaii

An Alabama man has been identified as one of five crew members reported missing after their Army helicopter went down off the coast of Hawaii.

Brian Woeber, originally of Decatur, was on board the helicopter that was reported down late Tuesday night, according to social media postings from family and friends. Two pilots and three crew members were on board the UH-60 Black Hawk when it crashed in waters five miles off Oahu's Kaena Point. Rescue workers have collected part of a fuselage and a helmet but continue search efforts for those on board.

Two Black Hawk crews were conducting nighttime training when one aircraft lost radio and visual contact with the other and signaled for assistance, according to the 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office. Local fire departments, U.S. Coast Guard and Army crews are assisting in the search.

A debris field believed to have been caused by the crashed helicopter was found about 2 miles west of Kaena Point, Oahu. The military is still classifying its mission as search and rescue operations and family members of the five personnel on board have been contacted, Army officials said.

"This is still a search and rescue mission. We are here to bring our soldiers home," said Lt Col. Curtis Kellogg, public affairs officer with the 25th Infantry Division. "As we do this work, the soldiers and their families are on the forefront of our minds."

Woeber, who serves as an instructor pilot, is a member of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade stationed at Wheeler Army Airfield in Hawaii. He is a graduate of Austin High School in Decatur and attended the University of Alabama and University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has served as an Army Unit Trainer/ Pilot in Command in Seoul, Korea; Landshut Area, Germany; Fort Rucker; and Sinai, Egypt. Woeber has been stationed in Hawaii since 2015.

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