FOR
FOR IDAHO... AS THREE SOLIDERS IN THE IDAHO ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD HAVE
DIED... FOLLOWING A
HELICOPTER CRASH
OUTSIDE OF BOISE.
FLAGS ARE FLYING AT
HALF STAFF... AS THE GEM
STATE MOURNS THE LOSS
OF 3 CITIZEN SOLDIERS.
THE GUARD SAYS IT
HAPPENED DURING A
TRAINING MISSION LAST
NIGHT SOUTHEAST OF
LUCKY PEAK.
IT'S IN AN AREA
REFERRED TO AS "THREE
POINT MOUNTAIN" --
ABOUT 20 MILES EAST OF
BOISE IN THE DANSKIN
MOUNTAINS.
THE PILOTS WERE
EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED.
THEY LEFT BOISE IN A U-
H-60 BLACK HAWK
HELICOPTER.
THEY WERE FLYING AT
NIGHT-- AND IN WEATHER
CONDITIONS-- THAT
SIMULATE SITUATIONS
THEY COULD ENCOUNTER
DURING A SEARCH AND
RESCUE.
THE PILOTS DO A
DETAILED RISK-
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE
BEFORE EVERY TRAINING
MISSION AND THIS ONE
WAS NO DIFFERENT.
ROUGHLY AN HOUR INTO
THE FLIGHT, AT 7:45, WAS
THEIR LAST CONTACT.
ABOUT 20 MINUTES
LATER -- AN AIR FORCE
RESCUE COORDINATION
CENTER IN FLORIDA
CONTACTED THE IDAHO
NATIONAL GUARD --
AFTER RECEIVING AN
ACTIVE EMERGENCY
SIGNAL ASSOCIATED WITH
THE AIRCRAFT.
THE NATIONAL GUARD
LAUNCHED ITS SEARCH.
AT THE SAME TIME --
ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WAS
IN THE AREA.
IT TRIED TO LOOK FOR
THE DOWNED HELICOPTER
-- BUT HAD TO LAND
BECAUSE OF THE
WEATHER.
CONDITIONS IMPROVED
AROUND 11PM -- WITH
CREWS FINDING THE
HELICOPTER AND PILOTS
AROUND MIDNIGHT.
THERE WAS NO MAYDAY,
NO REQUEST FOR AN
EMERGENCY, NO
DECLARATION OF AN
EMERGENCY
NAMES WILL NOT BE
RELEASED UNTIL FAMILY
MEMBERS ARE NOTIFIED.
A CAUSE HAS NOT YET
BEEN DETERMINED.
WE DO KNOW THAT
WEATHER CONDITIONS
HINDERED THE SEARCH
FOR THE AIRCRAFT.
THE WEATHER CAN TURN
BAD VERY QUICKLY IN
IDAHO'S BACKCOUNTRY.
KATIJA STJEPOVIC STARTS
OFF OUR COVERAGE WITH
A TIMELINE OF LAST
NIGHT'S CONDITIONS --
AND THE STRUGGLES IT
POSED FOR RESCUE
TEAMS.
MINUTES AFTER
TUESDAY'S CRASH...
WEATHER WAS WORKING
AGAINST AN AIRCRAFT
ATTEMPTING TO SEARCH FOR THE UH-60 BLACK HAWK... AND IT'S CREW.
8:30 THERE WAS WEATHER
LAST
LAST NIGHT, SO THERE WAS SNOW , WE DO KNOW THAT FROM THE
AIRCRAFT THAT TRIED TO
LOCATE THEM THAT WAS
OUT AT THE SAME TIME ,
THEY TRIED THREE
DIFFERENT TIMES
THROUGH LOW PASSES TO
GET TO THAT AREA BUT
THE CEILING LAYER
COMING DOWN
COMBINED WITH SNOW
MADE IN UNTENABLE FOR
THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET
IN 8:48
AS CHIEF
METEOROLOGIST RICK
LANTZ EXPLAINS A
FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVED
THROUGH THE AREA, THAT
BROUGHT ON DIFFERENT
KINDS OF AIR CURRENTS.
5:07 WE DID HAVE SOME
TURBULENT WEATHER
THAT WAS MOVING
THROUGH BETWEEN
THOSE TIME PERIODS AT
THAT TIME 5:14 3:05 COLD
FRONT WIND, LOW
CEILING, SNOW IN THE
AREA SO THERE IS A
POSSIBILITY OF FIGHTING
WEATHER ESPECIALLY
WITH TOPOGRAPHY 3:15
OFTEN TIMES, THE BACK
COUNTRY WEATHER
CHANGES CAN BE
DRASTIC AND QUICK
THE IDAHO MOUNTAINS
CAN MAKE DIFFERENT
KINDS OF DRAFTS OF AIR
GOING UP AND DOWN
AND SOMETIMES IT MAY
BE SOMETHING THAT CAN
BE SURPRISING 2:48
LL BRIDGE
AND AS WE LEARNED
FROM ONE MEMBER OF
THE SEARCH TEAM,
CONDITIONS ON THE
GROUND DIDN'T HELP.
3:47:20 IT WAS DARK
3:47:45 THE TEMPERATURE
HAD DROPPED WELL
BELOW FREEZING AND WE
WERE GETTING HIGH
LEVELS OF WIND AND
BLOWING SNOW
SCOTTY PERKINS WITH
IDAHO MOUNTAIN
SEARCH AND RESCUE SAYS
THE ROAD CONDITIONS
MADE IT CHALLENGING TO
GET SUPPORT VEHICLES UP
TO THE SCENE.
3:45:27 YESTERDAY IF YOU
RECALL IT WAS
UNSEASONABLY WARM SO
A LOT OF THE UNPAVED
ROAD SECTIONS LEADING
UP TO WHERE WE WERE
GATHERING TO SET UP
OUR COMMAND TRAILERS
AND BASE OPERATIONS.
THOSE ROADS WERE
PRETTY SOFT BUT THEN
THEY ALSO BECAME
PRETTY ICY OVER TIME,
THE ARMY AVIATION
SAFETY CENTER IS
EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN
BOISE TOMORROW TO
LEAD AN INVESTIGATION.
IN BOISE KATIJA STJEPOVIC
IDAHOS NEW CHANNEL 7.
THE
THE BLACK
THE BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER IS, AND HAS BEEN FOR DECADES, THE
ARMY'S PRIMARY UTILITY
TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT.
THE SPECIFIC CHOPPER IN
THE CRASH... WAS PART OF
THE IDAHO ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD'S
AVIATION GROUP.
IT'S TASKED WITH
SEVERAL KINDS OF
MISSIONS -- FROM
SEARCH AND RESCUES...
TO FIGHTING WILDFIRES.
JOEY PRECHTL HAS BEEN
FOLLOWING THIS STORY
FOR US THROUGHOUT
THE DAY.
JOEY-- FOCUSING ON ITS
ROLE OUT AT GOWEN
FIELD... THIS IS A FLYING
MACHINE THAT IS USED IN
ANY NUMBER OF
SITUATIONS. MARK-- LOCALLY-- WE'VE SEEN THE BLACK HAWK
USED IN SEARCH AND
RESCUE MISSIONS.
BUT THEIR DUTIES ALSO
RANGE OUTSIDE OF
IDAHO.
FROM GOING TO
GUATEMALA TO ASSIST
THEM -- AND TO
CALIFORNIA TO HELP
FIGHT THE WILDFIRES
THAT WERE RAGING
ACROSS THE STATE.
THE IDAHO ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD
UTILIZES BLACK HAWK
HELICOPTERS IN A VARIETY
OF WAYS.
IN 2020 -- THE STATE
AVIATION GROUP
ASSISTED IN SIX
DIFFERENT SEARCH AND
RESCUE MISSIONS.
THIS GROUP IS MADE UP
OF THE BLACK HAWK AND
THE LAKOTA HELICOPTERS.
THE GROUP RESCUED
FOLKS FROM BLAINE --
BOISE -- CUSTER AND
ELMORE COUNTY IN 2020.
THREE OF THESE RESCUES
HAPPENED IN LATE
AUGUST.
IN THAT SAME MONTH --
THREE BLACK HAWK
HELICOPTERS WERE SENT
TO CALIFORNIA TO HELP
THE STATE FIGHT
WILDFIRES.
TWO MORE WERE SENT
BACK IN SEPTEMBER TO
CONTINUE FIGHTING.
THE CREWS DUMPED
MORE THAN 80
THOUSAND GALLONS OF
WATER IN THEIR EFFORTS.
IN 2019 -- THE AVIATION
GROUP ASSISTED IN EIGHT
DIFFERENT SEARCH AND
RESCUE MISSIONS.
IN APRIL OF 2019 -- THEY
HELPED RESCUE PEOPLE
FROM THE FLOODS THAT
HAPPENED NEAR
GRANGEVILLE.
THE VERY NEXT DAY -- THE
BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER
WAS USED TO HELP
RESCUE A MAN IN VALLEY
COUNTY.
COUNTY. THE MAN HAD MULTIPLE INJURIES BUT THE CREWS
WERE ABLE TO HOIST HIM
INTO THE AIRCRAFT AND
GET HIM TO A HOSPITAL.
IN THE SUMMER TIME --
MEMBERS OF THE ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD
DEPLOYED TO GUATEMALA
IN SUPPORT OF BEYOND
THE HORIZON.
THE HORIZON.
THESE
THESE PICTURES ARE FROM THEM PREPARING TO LEAVE.
SOLDIERS PROVIDED
CASUALTY EVACUATION
SUPPORT AND
EQUIPMENT
TRANSPORTATION.
EQUIPMENT TRANSPORTATION. BECAUSE OF THE CRASH --
ALL IDAHO NATIONAL
GUARD OPERATIONS HAVE
BEEN HALTED FOR THE
TIME BEING.
BACK TO YOU...
WE'VE SEEN THE IDAHO
NATIONAL GUARD TIME
AND TIME AGAIN
ASSISTING IN OPERATIONS
AROUND THE STATE WITH
SEARCH AND RESCUES- -
LIKE HANNAH ANDERSON
IN 2013 - - TO WILDFIRES
EVERY SUMMER...
THIS ALL BRINGS A 2014
TRAGEDY TO MIND...
WHEN TWO NATIONAL
GUARD SOLDIERS DIED IN
A HELICOPTER CRASH
NEAR GOWEN FIELD.
STIEN P. GEARHART, OF
MERIDIAN... AND JON
HARTWAY OF KUNA DIED
IN THAT CRASH.
ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL GUARD-- THE
TWO MEN WERE
TRAINING IN AN APACHE
HELICOPTER... WITH ONLY
ONE OF TWO ENGINES.
DURING THE TRAINING...
BOTH CONTROL LEVERS
MALFUNCTIONED.
IT CUT POWER TO THE
ENGINES WHEN THE
HELICOPTER WAS 400 FEET
IN THE AIR.
THE PILOTS ONLY HAD
ABOUT THREE SECONDS
TO FIGURE OUT-- AND FIX
THE ISSUE.
WHILE IT WAS
TECHNICALLY RULED
"PILOT ERROR"...
INVESTIGATORS SAY IT
WAS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK.
IT'S BEEN ALMOST FIVE
YEARS SINCE APACHE'S
WERE USED OUT AT
GOWEN FIELD.
IN JULY OF 20-16... FIVE
HELICOPTERS WERE
MOVED FROM BOISE... TO
A U.S. ARMY FACILITY IN
UTAH.
THE STATE PHASED OUT
THE APACHES-- BY
ADDING MORE BLACK
HAWKS TO AN ALREADY
EXISTING FLEET.
BACK TO TODAY'S
TRAGEDY -- IDAHO'S
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION SENDING THEIR THOUGHTS AND
PRAYERS TO THE
NATIONAL GUARD -- AND
THE FAMILIES OF THE
FALLEN SOLDIERS.
CONGRESSMAN MIKE
SIMPSON PUT IT VERY
WELL -- SAYING "OUR
CITIZEN-SOLDIERS
EMBODY A SPIRIT OF
SERVICE AND THE BEST OF
AMERICAN PATRIOTISM,
AND THIS LOSS IS FELT
DEEPLY THROUGHOUT
IDAHO."
THOSE SOLDIERS WHO
DIED WERE OUR
NEIGHBORS, OUR FRIENDS
-- THEY WENT TO OUR
CHURCHES -- THEIR KIDS
GO TO OUR KIDS
SCHOOLS.
THEY SIGNED UP FOR A
JOB THAT WAS DESIGNED
TO TRAIN THEM TO SAVE
LIVES -- AND IN THE END
IT TOOK THEIRS."
THE THREE AVIATORS
WERE MEMBERS OF THE
FIRST BATTALION OF THE
183RD AVIATION
REGIMENT.
THE MEMBERS CONDUCT
ROUTINE TRAINING
MISSIONS THREE NIGHTS
OUT OF THE WEEK.
LAST NIGHT, THE THREE
PILOTS LEFT BOISE AT
APPROXIMATELY 6:50PM --
AND NEVER RETURNED
HOME TO THEIR LOVED
ONES.
THE PILOTS HAD MORE
THAN 30 YEARS OF
COMBINED EXPERIENCE ---
THOUSANDS OF HOURS
OF FLIGHT TIME.
WE DON'T KNOW THEIR
NAMES YET, BUT WE
KNOW THEY DIED AS
HEROES...
HEROES...
"AS
"AS THE
"AS THE COMMANDER, ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS ABOUT AVIATION
IS WE ARE, I THINK, A
FAIRLY, EXTREMELY CLOSE
KNIT UNIT. THAT ALSO
MAKES IT VERY HARD," LT.
COL. NICOLE
WASHINGTON, THE
COMMANDER OF THE
GUARD'S 1ST OF THE
183RD ASSAULT
HELICOPTER BATTALION
SAID.
"WE'VE CONDUCTED
MULTIPLE SEARCH AND
RESCUE OPERATIONS TO
RESCUE LOCAL IDAHOANS.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR
US TO PUT OURSELVES IN
THOSE CONDITIONS, IN
THOSE POSITIONS, TO
KNOW HOW TO TRAIN
BECAUSE WE
UNDERSTAND THAT
WHENEVER WE GO OUT
TO SAVE SOMEONE, IT'S
NOT ALWAYS GOING TO
BE IDEAL CONDITIONS,"
WASHINGTON SAID.
WASHINGTON SAID.
"TO
"TO THE
"TO THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO, THESE ARE TOUGH TIMES," GOVERNOR BRAD
LITTLE, COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF OF THE IDAHO
NATIONAL GUARD, SAID.
"REMEMBER, THEIR
NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO
DEFEND THIS COUNTRY.
AND YOU CAN'T DEFEND
THIS COUNTRY IF YOU
DON'T TRAIN," LITTLE SAID.
PLS DON'T COVER THIS
BITE. I'D LIKE TO SEE HIS
EMOTION
MY IMMEDIATE PRIORITY
IS TO CARE FOR AND
ASSIST THE FAMILIES OF
OUR FALLEN AVIATORS
," MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL
GARSHAK, ADJUTANT
GENERAL OF IDAHO AND
COMMANDER OF THE
IDAHO NATIONAL GUARD.
SAID.
"I'VE RECEIVED
NUMEROUS MESSAGES OF
CONDOLENCE FROM
MANY PEOPLE HERE IN
IDAHO AND
IDAHO AND
THROUGHOUT THE NATION," GARSHAK SAID. "ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS,
PRAYERS AND SUPPORT
ARE SINCERELY
APPRECIATED AND MUCH
NEEDED," GARSHAK SAID.
"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," COL.
CHRISTOPHER BURT, THE
IDAHO ARMY NATIONAL
GUARD'S STATE AVIATION
OFFICER,
OFFICER, SAID. "ALL THREE OF THESE AVIATORS THAT WERE
FLYING LAST NIGHT WERE
EXPERIENCED IN SEARCH
AND RESCUE TECHNIQUES,
EXPERIENCED IN FLYING IN
ADVERSE CONDITIONS
AND BAD WEATHER,"
WASHINGTON SAID.
"WE WILL HAVE TO LAND
IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS.
WE WILL HAVE TO GO OUT
IN BAD WEATHER.
FOR US IN THE ARMY, TO
TRY AND TRAIN AS WE
FIGHT, AND TRAIN OUR
AVIATION PERSONNEL TO
BE THE MOST PROFICIENT
SO THAT WE CAN GO OUT
AND PROVIDE THAT SAME
SUPPORT
SUPPORT FOR THE STATE," WASHINGTON SAID. "THEY ARE AN INTRICATE,
NECESSARY PART OF OUR
COMMUNITY AND THEY
WILL BE