Three Idaho Army National Guard personnel were killed in the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday night.
All three personnel aboard were pilots with the Idaho Army National Guard participating in a routine training flight, the guard said in a statement.
Col. Christopher Burt, the Idaho Army National Guard’s state aviation officer, confirmed the aircraft was last contacted at 7:45 pm local time. Once the emergency transmitter locator device aboard the aircraft was activated shortly after 8 pm, his team immediately initiated emergency aircraft recovery procedures, which included air and ground search and rescue crews.
At approximately 12:15 am Wednesday morning, crews located the aircraft and personnel. The cause of the accident is unknown and an investigation will begin promptly.
The guard said the names of the deceased are being withheld until after next of kin have been notified.
“This is a tremendous loss to the Idaho National Guard and our community,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho and commander of the Idaho National Guard. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones as we work through this tragedy.”
