Three members of the Minnesota National Guard died after the helicopter they were flying in crashed.
The group was on a maintenance test flight in the UH-60 Black Hawk Thursday afternoon when the National Guard lost contact with them shortly after takeoff. The chopper called mayday less than 10 minutes into the flight.
Multiple agencies spent hours searching for the helicopter near St. Cloud, Minnesota, before the crash site was located in a farm field.
“We were hoping to find a helicopter sitting in the middle of a field with a couple guys standing next to it looking for a ride. But not lucky enough to find that,” said Dave Tannehill, a flight instructor who helped with the search.
Gov. Tim Waltz, who is also a National Guard veteran, held a press conference after the crash site was located. No names are being released until the families of the victims are contacted.
“On behalf of all Minnesotans, we offer our deepest sympathies to the families of these warriors. They paid the ultimate price in service to Minnesota and to the United States of America,” he said.
“As governor and as a citizen of this great state and as a veteran of the Minnesota National Guard, my heart breaks for the families, the friends and the fellow soldiers. The coming days will be dark and difficult,” Waltz said. “The state of Minnesota stands ready to assist the families of the fallen heroes.”
