3 National Guard members were killed in the second deadly Black Hawk helicopter crash in less than a month

• An Idaho National Guard helicopter crashed Tuesday evening near Boise, the Guard said Wednesday.
• All three crew members were killed in the crash, which is under investigation.
• The crash follows another fatal Guard helicopter crash two weeks ago.

Three Idaho National Guard soldiers were killed Tuesday evening after their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Boise, the Guard said in a statement Wednesday.

The three pilots were on a routine training flight at the time of the accident, which is currently under investigation.

Last contact with the helicopter was at 7:45 pm Tuesday. The onboard Emergency Transmitter Locator device was activated 15 minutes later, at which point air and ground search and rescue crews were dispatched.

The downed aircraft and the deceased crew were found shortly after midnight.

"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 Wednesday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones as we work through this tragedy," he added. The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Tuesday's fatal crash follows another deadly National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash in late January, when a medical evacuation helicopter based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport crashed.

The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter has been in service with the US armed forces for more than 40 years, primarily as a tactical transport aircraft, though there are other variants for other missions and tasks.