Priest River airman among four killed in helicopter crash

Police say the bodies of four U.S. Air Force crew members, including two from the Northwest, have been recovered from the site of a helicopter crash in eastern England. Capt. Christopher S. Stover of Vancouver, Wash., Staff Sgt. Afton M. Ponce of Priest River, Idaho, Capt. Sean M. Ruane and Technical Sgt. Dale E. Mathews died when their Pave Hawk helicopter came down in a marshland nature reserve on the Norfolk coast on Tuesday. An ambulance was seen removing bodies from the marsh Thursday after what officials called a “complex” recovery operation. Norfolk Police say there is no evidence the crash was a criminal matter. The U.S. Air Force will lead the accident investigation. The aircraft was assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force base Lakenheath in eastern England. It was on a training mission when it crashed.