Three Idaho Army National Guard pilots died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash Tuesday night, officials announced Wednesday.
The incident took place while the pilots were undergoing a routine training flight session near Boise. The names of those who died are being withheld while next of kin are notified.
“This is a tremendous loss to the Idaho National Guard and our community,” Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, its commander, said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones as we work through this tragedy.”
The last contact military officials had with the helicopter was around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The Emergency Transmitter Locator device onboard the helicopter was activated around 8:00 p.m.
An Idaho National Guard spokesperson told ABC News that snowy weather conditions impeded initial search efforts.
Crews eventually found the wreckage and the deceased pilots early Wednesday.
“The cause of the accident is unknown, and an investigation will begin promptly,” officials said in the statement.
This is the second fatal crash of a Black Hawk helicopter from the National Guard in two weeks.
On January 20, a Black Hawk with members of the New York National Guard on a training mission crashed 15 miles south of Rochester, New York. Three veteran pilots died in that incident.
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