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.
Poor weather conditions – including snow and fog – were reported in the area when the helicopter crashed, but the cause of the fatal accident has not yet been determined, Idaho National Guard officials said at a press conference later Wednesday.
“It’s important to remember that at this time, there are many unanswered questions and any speculation into the cause of this accident would be premature ahead of any official investigation,” Idaho National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Borders told reporters.
Gov. Brad Little, who ordered flags throughout the state to be flown at half-staff following the crash, asked Idahoans to keep the pilots and their families in mind during “this very difficult time.”
“Remember, their number one goal is to defend this country,” Little told reporters. “And you can’t defend this country if you don’t train.”
The most senior pilot on the helicopter had more than 15 years of experience and the three collectively had “thousands of hours” of flight time, Idaho National Guard officials said.
The identities of the pilots will be released once their families have been notified, which typically takes 24 hours, Borders said.
