N.C. native among 14 killed in copter crash

Man was helping to pilot the doomed chopper in Iraq

A soldier from eastern Guilford County was among the 14 killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Wednesday while in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Department of Defense said late Thursday night.

It was the deadliest crash in the war since 2005, officials said.

Chief Warrant Officer Paul J. Flynn, 28, of Gibsonville was piloting a Black Hawk helicopter in night operations when the helicopter experienced a mechanical problem and went down in Multaka, in northern Iraq.

"The whole town is devastated," said Gibsonville Mayor Lenny Williams, who said the city's flag has been lowered to half staff.

Flynn, who went by Josh, had been in the Army 10 years and was on his first tour in Iraq, said his father, Deleno Flynn.

The military said Flynn was a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot who completed Army aviator training in 2003.

Flynn was helping pilot the helicopter when it went down Wednesday, his father said. The military said it appeared the aircraft was lost due to mechanical problems.

Tim Riggs, one of Flynn's former teachers, said he had fond memories of his student from the mid-90s. "He taught me how to laugh as a teacher, how to have a good sense of humor," Riggs told The Times-News of Burlington. "[His death] hit me real hard."

Flynn and three others who died in the crash were assigned to the 4th Squadron, 6th U.S. Air Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash. The rest were based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Flynn is survived by his six-year-old son who lives in Clarksville, Tenn.