A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter assigned to the Army National Guard in Hammond, Louisiana, crashed near Eglin Air Force Base, about 40 miles east of Pensacola, Florida, during a routine training mission on Tuesday evening. Seven marines and four crewmembers from the Marine Special Operations Regiment from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were on board the helicopter at the time of the crash. A second UH-60 that was part of the same training mission returned safely to Eglin.
A press release from Eglin Air Force Base indicated the area was experiencing heavy fog during the time of the accident, making search and rescue efforts difficult. The release also stated that debris from the helicopter was found around 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
While the accident is still treated as a search and rescue mission, Andrew Bourland, a spokesman for Eglin Air Force Base, told The Washington Post that human remains had been found on the shore on Wednesday. There is no word yet on what may have caused the accident.
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