3 National Guard members dead in Black Hawk crash in Idaho

Three Idaho Army National Guard members were found dead after their Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday night, officials announced.

Authorities reported that the crash occurred south of Lucky Peak after 8 p.m., citing that an emergency transmitter locator device was activated at that time. The cause of the crash remains unknown, and officials said that an investigation “will begin promptly.”

The names of the three victims, who were all pilots doing a routine training flight, were not released as of Wednesday morning to allow time to notify family members. 

Col. Christopher Burt, the Idaho Army National Guard’s state aviation officer, said the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter last made contact at 7:45 p.m. After the emergency device’s activation after 8 p.m., he launched the aircraft recovery plan, including air and ground search and rescue groups.

The helicopter and three National Guard members were located at about 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning. 

“This is a tremendous loss to the Idaho National Guard and our community,” Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, adjutant general of Idaho and commander of the Idaho National Guard said in a release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones as we work through this tragedy.”