Three Idaho Army National Guard personnel were murdered after their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed south of Lucky Peak near Boise soon following 8 pm Tuesday, officials said in a news release.
All three personnel aboard were pilots with the Idaho Army National Guard participating in a routine training flight.
The aircraft was last in contact at 7:45 p.m., based on Col. Christopher Burt, the Idaho Army National Guard’s state aviation officer. The Emergency Transmitter Locator device aboard the aircraft was triggered shortly following 8 pm and recovery procedures were initiated, which included air and ground search and rescue crews.
The weather at the time of this crash was snowy and the area where the aircraft went down is mountainous, Lt. Col. Christopher Borders, spokesman for the Idaho National Guard, told ABC News.
The aircraft and deceased employees were found at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, officials said.
“It’s been bad conditions on and off throughout the period. It hampered our initial air search efforts when we were informed that the crisis locator had triggered. As as result we immediately launched a ground crew to hunt. At roughly 11 p.m. the weather improved enough to start another aircraft to commence the air search. And after midnight tonight, roughly 12:15 a.m. our search and rescue crew located the aircraft and affirmed there were no survivors”
The cause of the accident is under investigation. The names of those three who died in the crash are being withheld until next of kin could be advised.
“That is a huge loss to the Idaho National Guard and our neighborhood,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho and also commander of the Idaho National Guard.
