By Jacob Scholl

Idaho Statesman

BOISE — Three members of the Idaho Army National Guard were killed when a Black Hawk helicopter went down just south of Lucky Peak Reservoir near Boise on Tuesday, and a commander said at a news conference Wednesday that there was no “mayday” or other type of distress call prior to the crash.

The crash occurred just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the Idaho National Guard. The three killed were participating in a “routine training flight,” and they were the only people on board the UH-60 Black Hawk.

The names of the Guard members were not released Wednesday, as officials said they must notify family members.

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

Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday morning ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the three killed.

“Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of three brave and talented pilots killed during service to our state and nation,” Little said in a news release. “Their tragic deaths leave an emptiness in the lives of their families and loved ones, the entire National Guard community, and all of us.”

During a news conference Wednesday morning, Idaho Guard leaders detailed the events leading to the fatal crash.

The helicopter, staffed with the three crew members, departed Boise and began a routine training flight to the southeast of the city. Flight operations officials spoke back and forth with the crew, last hearing from them at 7:45 p.m., according to Col. Christopher Burt, state Army aviation officer for the Guard. In the final transmission, the crew told officials in Boise that they had completed their final exercise and were on their way back.

Just after 8 p.m., officials in Boise were notified by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Florida that it had received an active emergency transmitter from the Black Hawk. The transmitter gave local flight officials a grid and starting point for a search, which began immediately.

Lt. Col. Nicole Washington — commander of the 1st Battalion, 183rd Aviation Regiment of the Idaho Guard — said Wednesday that there were no distress calls made prior to the crash.

Guard officials said there was a second aircraft training Tuesday night, which was notified of the downed helicopter and attempted to search for the Black Hawk from the air. However, the aircraft had to call off its search after weather deteriorated.

Ground crews continued the search, as well as members of the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit, according to Burt. Air crews later resumed searching when the weather improved.

Burt said that air search and rescue crews located the downed helicopter at around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday morning and confirmed that there were no survivors. The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office secured the site, and recovery operations were set to continue throughout the day Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Christopher Borders, public affairs officer for the Idaho Guard, said Wednesday morning that the closest landmark to the crash site is Three Point Mountain, located to the south of Lucky Peak and to the southeast of Boise.

The cause of the crash was unknown as of Wednesday, and a team with the Army Aviation Safety Center will lead the ongoing investigation. That team is expected to be in Boise by Thursday afternoon.

“On behalf of each of them and on behalf of the Idaho Army Aviation Group, I extend the deepest of sympathies to the families, loved ones and friends of these amazing Americans,” Burt said.

The crash Tuesday night was the fourth fatal incident involving a Black Hawk in a little over a year. Crashes in Minnesota, New York and California killed eight military members and injured three others.

Another Idaho Army National Guard helicopter, an Apache based at Gowen Field, crashed on Nov. 6, 2014, killing Guard members Jon Hartway, 43, of Kuna, and Stien Gearhart, 50, of Meridian.

They were on a training mission when runaway RPMs triggered an automatic shutdown of both engines. The helicopter crashed in a field south of Boise, killing both men.

Gearhart and Hartway were experienced, highly rated pilots who had served in combat in Afghanistan.

Another Idaho National Guard aircraft, a one-seat A-10, crashed in the Treasure Valley in 2000, killing the pilot.

An OH-58 helicopter crashed in Eastern Idaho during flood relief efforts in 1997, killing two National Guard members and seriously injuring another.