Three Idaho National Guard pilots were killed in a helicopter crash late Tuesday, officials said.
The victims were flying in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter when it went down during a routine training mission south of Lucky Peak near Boise at about 8 p.m., the Idaho National Guard said Wednesday.
Aviation officers said the last contact with the helicopter was roughly 15 minutes before the fatal crash. The cause of the accident is unknown and an investigation is underway, National Guard officials said.
“This is a tremendous loss to the Idaho National Guard and our community,” Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, commander of the state’s National Guard, said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones as we work through this tragedy.”
The identities of the victims — whose bodies were recovered at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday after an air and ground search — will not be released until their relatives have been notified.
