David Ayala was born on April 17, 1980, in Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter mechanic. Determined to become an Army aviator, he advanced through the enlisted ranks, attaining the rank of Sergeant while gaining valuable operational experience. From November 1999 to April 2000, he deployed to Kosovo, where he served as an OH-58D Crew Chief. Soon after returning, he achieved his goal of being selected for Army flight training and was reassigned to Fort Rucker, Alabama. There, he completed Basic Rotary Wing Training, the Warrant Officer Basic Course, the CH-47D Chinook Qualification Course, and SERE-C (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training. In March 2003, he was assigned to Giebelstadt Airfield, Germany, where he joined Company F, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 12th Aviation Brigade as a U.S. Army aviator. He was later deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot.

On April 6, 2005, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter #88-00100, flying under the callsign “WINDY-25”, crashed near Khudaidad village, in Afghanistan's Ghazni Province, approximately 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Kabul. The aircraft belonged to Company F ("Big Windy") of the 159th Aviation Regiment, part of the 12th Aviation Brigade, which at the time was assigned to V Corps and based in Germany. WINDY-25 had departed on a routine resupply and passenger transport mission, carrying personnel and supplies between forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan. The Chinook was transporting a mixed group consisting of Army soldiers, National Guard personnel, a Marine, Army Reserve personnel, and civilian contractors. As the helicopter approached the Ghazni area, it encountered a severe dust storm with winds exceeding 45 knots. These conditions created a "brownout" environment, in which blowing dust completely obscured visual references. During the flight, the pilots lost outside visibility and attempted to transition from visual flying to instrument flight procedures. Investigators later determined that the crew became spatially disoriented, meaning they could no longer accurately perceive the aircraft's attitude and movement. While attempting to regain control, the helicopter was over-controlled and ultimately crashed. All 18 people aboard were killed: five Army crewmembers and thirteen passengers. The aircraft was destroyed. Subsequent investigations found no evidence of enemy fire or hostile action; the accident was attributed entirely to the extreme weather conditions and the resulting loss of situational awareness.

CWO2 Ayala was one of the crewmembers aboard the aircraft and was killed in the crash. He is now buried in the Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, Suffolk County, New York, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.chinook-helicopter.com, www.dvidshub.net, facebook/Calverton National Cemetery