According to U.S. media reports, U.S. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the UH-60 Black Hawk crashed on Thursday during a flight from an Army air facility in St. Cloud, Minnesota, killing three soldiers in a Minnesota Army National Guard helicopter.
According to the Minnesota National Guard, the Black Hawk lost contact with the tower around 2.15 p.m. on Thursday while conducting a maintenance test flight. The plane crashed about 16 miles southwest of St. Cloud. Officials said the soldiers' names would be made public once their families were notified.
According to the emergency radio call, the helicopter began calling for help about nine minutes after takeoff. Images from late afternoon showed what appeared to be the wreckage of the Black Hawk in the woods after extensive searching effort.
Minnesota National Guard Communications Director Army Colonel Joe Sharkey Army Officer Colonel Joe Sharkey told ABC News after reporting the disappearance.
Waltz said Army Security Center investigators from Fort Lark, Alabama, are expected to arrive at the scene on Friday. Dan Miller, chief adjutant at the Stern County Sheriff's Office, said the crash site was not close to home.
This is the second time that a Black Hawk helicopter has crashed on the U.S. mainland in recent months, and in September 2019, a military helicopter accident at the Louisiana Joint Standby Training Center and fort Polk Training Area killed one soldier and injured three others, which also proves that the long-serving Black Hawk helicopter is currently facing the danger of aging airframe and reduced safety factor.