Fallon soldier killed in Iraq

A Fallon resident was killed in Iraq on Saturday when his helicopter crashed while on a mission.

According to the Department of Defense, Chief Warrant Officer Christian P. Humphreys, 28, of Fallon, Nev. and Chief Warrant Officer Donald V. Clark, 37, of Memphis, Tenn. were both killed in the crash. They died Nov. 15 in Mosul, Iraq, when their OH-58 Kiowa helicopter crashed while on a mission over Mosul.

Humphreys and Clark were both assigned to the 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 49, U.S. Army Alaska, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Humphreys was a pilot who joined the Army in 1998.

An Anchorage newspaper reported the men were flying in an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter Saturday when it went down, said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Allen. The Army did not immediately release details on what the mission entailed, but Allen said initially it did not appear they were taking fire.

"There's nothing indicating that they were," Allen said. "They were flying a mission over the Mosul, Iraq, area and they crashed. The cause of that is under investigation."

It was not immediately clear whether Clark and Humphreys were the only two aboard the helicopter, though they were the only two reported to have been killed.

The incident remains under investigation. The next of kin have been notified.