American Military News Idaho Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on July 21, 2020 near Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur)
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Three U.S. service members in the Idaho Army National Guard are dead after their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Boise during a routine training flight on Tuesday night.
The Guard confirmed the deaths in a statement Wednesday morning. Last contact was made with the aircraft at 7:45 p.m. local time and the crash occurred shortly after 8 p.m., confirmed by the helicopter’s Emergency Transmitter Locator device becoming activated.
Col. Christopher Burt, the Guard’s state aviation officer, launched emergency efforts to recover the aircraft, including search and rescue crews on the ground and in the air.
The crash site and victims were located at 12:15 a.m.
The cause of the crash is currently unknown and an investigation is underway.
“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.”
