PORTLAND (AP) — An Army captain from Maine was killed Monday in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, members of Maine’s congressional delegation said.

Capt. John “Jay” Brainard II, of Newport, was killed when his AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed while on patrol, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said.

Brainard, 26, was a helicopter pilot assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. He was a 2004 graduate of Foxcroft Academy and a 2008 graduate of the University of Maine.

Officials with the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan said Monday that a helicopter crash killed two NATO members in eastern Afghanistan. Authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, but initial reports indicated there was no enemy activity in the area at the time the helicopter went down, the coalition said.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said Brainard’s death was an “unfathomable sacrifice” in serving the country.

“For those who make this ultimate sacrifice on behalf of us all, there are no words to express both our boundless gratitude and immense grief,” Snowe said in a statement.

Gov. Paul LePage also expressed sadness at the loss of Brainard. “We are forever indebted to his display of courage and selfless sacrifice,” LePage said in a statement.