Priest River airman killed

SANDPOINT — One of the airmen killed in a nighttime training flight off the coast of England on Tuesday is from Priest River, according to Spokane television station KXLY.

Staff Sgt. Afton Ponce graduated from Priest River Lamanna High School in 2003 and later married Andy Ponce, KXLY reported. She was assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing based at the Royal Air Force Station Lakenheath.

The 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing is assigned to the U.S. Air Force in Europe.

Four airmen were killed when their Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crashed on the Norfolk coast during a low-altitude training flight. Pave Hawks are used in special operations, search and rescue, and medical evacuations.

Ponce’s father, Therien, served in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps. KXLY, citing the patriarch’s 2007 obituary, reported that Ponce’s brother, Ethan, served in the U.S. Army and her brother, Ivan, served with the Marines.