Army Staff Sgt. James R. Stright of Libby was killed Thursday night when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a Navy ship during training off the Virginia coast, military officials said Sunday.

A statement out of Fort Bragg said the 29-year-old Stright was assigned to Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), headquartered at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

A Navy spokesman said service members were rappelling down a rope from the helicopter to the USNS Arctic when the helicopter crashed into the ship's stern.

Stright is survived by his parents, Robert N. and Kathy Stright, of Libby.

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Service members were rappelling down a rope to the deck of the Arctic around 8 p.m. when the crash happened, Navy spokeswoman Lt. J. G. Megan Issac said.

The helicopter ended up on its side after the crash, Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby, commander of the Military Sealift Command, said at a news conference at Naval Station Norfolk. A small fire on the ship's deck was quickly extinguished.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

A second helicopter took the injured to a hospital for treatment. None of the other soldiers had life-threatening injuries, Issac said.

"We deeply regret that it occurred, but unfortunately, it is part of the business we do at sea," Buzby said.

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Phil Rosi said the training exercise involved two Army helicopters and members of a Naval Special Warfare unit.

"It was a routine visit, board, search and seizure exercise that takes place between Army and Navy units on a fairly regular basis," Buzby said, adding that ships like the Arctic are used because they are similar to merchant ships.

The exercise trains the service members on how to quickly board a ship that might be threatened by pirates or terrorists, for instance, he said.

The military did not release information on what Stright was doing at the time of the crash.

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The Arctic has returned to Naval Station Norfolk, and the damaged helicopter remained aboard the ship.

The Arctic was damaged and will be repaired quickly. Its deck had superficial damage where the helicopter landed, but the ship's propulsion was not affected.

Officials said the Arctic has no official home port but frequents naval stations in Norfolk and Earle, N.J.