Updated (3/11 9 a.m.)(NBC News)Seven Marines and four soldiers were feared dead on Wednesday after an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed off the Florida coast during a nighttime training exercise.
Military crews held out hope as they searched in heavy fog, but a spokesman for Eglin Air Force Base said that human remains had been found and that aircraft debris had washed ashore.
It was too soon to say what caused the crash, but the spokesman, Andy Bourland, told NBC News that there were “weather issues” overnight.
The 11 servicemembers were aboard one of two UH-60 Black Hawks participating in the exercise. The second helicopter returned safely.
Mike Spaits, another spokesman for the base, confirmed that there were fatalities but told reporters “there’s always hope” for survivors. The aircraft debris, including the tail rotor of the downed chopper, was recovered by a Coast Guard vessel, officials told NBC News.
Fla. — 11 members of the U.S. military are missing after an Army Black Hawk crashed during a training mission in the Florida panhandle.
That’s according to a spokesman at Eglin Air Force Base.
A dense fog advisory was in place for the region, reducing visibility in some areas to less than quarter of a mile. A military statement said debris from the aircraft was located and search and rescue efforts are currently underway.
Four aircrew and seven marines assigned to Camp North Carolina, were on board the helicopter when it went down.
A second Black Hawk on the training mission returned to the base.
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