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The incident – which saw a UH-72 Lakota helicopter go down near Rio Grande City, Texas, on Friday, March 8 – is now the focus of an investigation by the Starr County Sheriff’s Office into whether there was any criminal wrongdoing, officials told the outlet.
That investigation is separate from a parallel probe being conducted by the Department of Defense. So far, authorities have not publicly said what caused the crash.
Killed in the incident were 28-year-old Casey Frankoski, a Rensselaer County native from the city of Rensselaer and graduate of Columbia High School, and 30-year-old John Grassia, a New York State Police trooper and Schenectady County native from Rotterdam.
According to the Joint Task Force North, a US Border Patrol agent also died in the crash. Jacob Pratt, of Rensselaer, was the sole survivor and remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Frankoski, a former volunteer firefighter, enlisted in the Army National Guard in October 2016 and was appointed Chief Warrant Officer in 2019, her obituary said. She trained to become a Black Hawk helicopter pilot and spent nearly a year deployed to Kuwait as a mission planner.
Among the many honors she received were the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Armed Forces Service Medal.
“Casey was dedicated to serving the United States,” reads her memorial.
Writing in his obituary, Grassia’s family said they take solace in knowing that he died “doing what he loved most: flying and protecting those he loved."
A native of Niskayuna, Grassia enlisted in the Army National Guard at the age of 18 before he graduated from Schalmont High School in 2012. After training, he served in Kuwait as a helicopter repairer.
He earned his bachelor of science degree in informatics and cyber security from the University at Albany, later working as a cybersecurity analyst for the New York State Department of Homeland Security.
In 2022, relatives said Grassia “proudly” became a New York State Police trooper.
“J's journey in this world was marked by an unwavering commitment to service and adventure,” reads his memorial. “He was a true American hero.”
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