Dale Comstock on Panama Helicopter Crash that Left Him with Broken Back, 2 People Paralyzed (Part 5)

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Part 4: https://youtu.be/ZVAAbsYPGd8
Part 1: https://youtu.be/U21AbA_cZII
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Dale Comstock sits down with Vlad to recount a harrowing 1990 mission in Panama’s remote Darién jungle, months after the Modelo Prison rescue involving Kurt Muse. Comstock describes how an overloaded Black Hawk carrying soldiers, equipment, and a 400-gallon auxiliary fuel tank lost its left engine mid-flight, struck trees, snapped its rotor blades, and plunged 206 feet like a “lawn dart.”

The crash left five men with broken backs, including Comstock, and two soldiers paralyzed—among them his assistant team leader, who had already survived a rotor strike during the earlier Kurt Muse rescue. Comstock reflects on survival, physical conditioning, the dangers of military aviation, Panamanian Defense Forces holdouts, and the sacrifices made by disabled veterans who rarely receive public recognition.

A gripping firsthand account of special operations, jungle training, Black Hawk crashes, and the lasting cost of service.