National Guardsmen identified as 2 men involved in Boulder City plane crash

By Riley Snyder

Published Tuesday, June 25, 2013 | 11:58 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, June 25, 2013 | 12:57 p.m.

Two men who were killed in an airplane crash Sunday outside of Boulder City were members of the Nevada Army National Guard.

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Edwards IV, 41, and Pfc. Cody Hall, 23, died when the propeller-driven aircraft they were flying reportedly lost engine power and crashed at around 2:45 p.m. Sunday, about 4 miles west of Boulder City Municipal Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.

Neither man was involved in a military action or status on Sunday, and the aircraft involved was not a military aircraft, Nevada National Guard spokesman Erick Studenicka said.

Edwards, a Las Vegas resident, had recorded 11 years of military experience and worked as a helicopter repairman, Studenicka said. He was deployed for five months to Bosnia while actively enrolled in the Army and also served in stations in Fort Ord, Calif.; Fort Hood, Texas; and Germany. He joined the Nevada National Guard in February 2009, Studenicka said. During his military career, Edwards was awarded several medals and official recognitions, including three Army Achievement Medals, one Armed Forces Service Medal, three Army Good Conduct Medals, Two Overseas Service Ribbons and one Senior Army Aviator Badge.

At the time of his death, Edwards held a civilian job as a military technician, Studenicka said.

Hall, a North Las Vegas resident, joined the National Guard in 2012 and worked as an aircraft electrician, he said. He was awarded one Army Service Ribbon and one National Defense Service Medal, with an Army Commendation Medal still pending. His civilian occupation was not listed, Studenicka said.

Both men were assigned to the same unit based at the North Las Vegas Airport, Studenicka said.

According to preliminary reports, the pilot was attempting to land after losing engine power, Kenitzer said. The two were in a Beechcraft T-34, which is a single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash, Kenitzer said.