Military helicopter crashes near Summit Lake Wednesday night
A military helicopter with four service members aboard crashed near Summit Lake in western Thurston County Wednesday night, prompting a search and rescue response.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord confirmed a helicopter crashed around 9 p.m. in a rural area “near the military installation,” according to a Thursday morning statement from External Communications Chief Gary Dangerfield.
Four service members were on board the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed, according to a Thursday afternoon news release from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. The service members were assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne).
The release described the crash as an “aviation mishap” and did not state whether the service members were injured or killed in the crash.
“The cause of the mishap is under investigation,” the release says. “This remains an active, ongoing situation. Further updates will be released as they are confirmed and cleared for public release.”
The incident was first called in to 911 at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, according to Thurston County dispatch, but there was initial confusion about what had occurred. The crash occurred near the northeast part of Summit Lake, in Capitol Forest, almost 9 miles northwest of downtown Olympia, dispatch shared.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and McLane Black Lake Fire Department both confirmed they responded to the helicopter crash in separate Facebook posts.
“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist,” the Sheriff’s Office post says.
Sheriff Derek Sanders said deputies located the helicopter crash site, according to a post before midnight. However, he said deputies were initially unable to continue rescue efforts because the scene was on fire and their footwear was overheating.
Sanders described the situation as an active rescue operation involving a King County helicopter and special operation rescue units.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 8:46 AM.
