Area helicopter pilot killed in crash in Iraq

WORTHINGTON, Ind. – A pilot who grew up in southern Indiana died in a helicopter crash in Iraq while working for a private contractor just months after retiring from the Army, his brother said.

William F. “Sonny” Hinchman, 42, completed two tours of duty in Iraq with the Army before leaving in March to work for North Carolina-based XE, formerly known as Blackwater, said his brother, Kirk Hinchman. He died July 17 in a crash near Baghdad.

Another crew member also was killed and two were injured when the MD-530 helicopter used to protect U.S. diplomats crashed during a training mission, the State Department said.

Kirk Hinchman said his brother believed his work in Iraq protecting diplomats would help stabilize the country.

“It was tough for the family when he went overseas. It was real tough this last time,” Hinchman told the Greene County Daily World. “He met with all the family, and everyone asked, ‘Why are you going back?’”

The Associated Press left a message seeking comment from XE officials about Hinchman’s death.

Kirk Hinchman said the family didn’t know much about what caused the crash and he expected it would be several months before an investigation was completed.

Hinchman enlisted in the Army after graduating from Greene County’s Worthington-Jefferson High School in 1984. He was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas for several years and lived in Copperas Cove, Texas.

Kirk Hinchman said his brother believed the only way American troops could leave Iraq was to make the country more secure.

“It wasn’t are you a civilian or a contractor,” he said. “It was, ‘Are you working for the right goal?’”