Three On Board Missing

Update: The missing Black Hawk has been found near Florence. All three on board were killed. Full details to follow...

A US Army UH-60 is missing, somewhere in South Carolina.

The aircraft, with three soldiers on board, was on a "routine" flight from Fort Bragg (NC) to Florence (SC) Monday when it dropped off radio and radar.

"Obviously there were thunderstorms and some other (weather) conditions yesterday. Whether that had an impact on the flight or not, at this point I really don't know," said Fort Bragg spokesman LTC Billy Buckner. He said, however, conditions were "well within" the weather criteria allowed for such flights.

Another helicopter flying with the missing Black Hawk landed safely.

Search crews fanned out across Florence County, hoping to find some indication of the aircraft's fate. Several helicopters were in the air, including four from the Army.

"I would not begin to speculate on the condition of the aircraft or crew right now," said another Fort Bragg spokesman, Maj. Rich Patterson. "This is a search mission and we will continue to treat it as a search mission looking for survivors and the aircraft. We are very hopeful that with the great working relationship we have established with the Florence County emergency services and with the troops we're bringing down from Fort Bragg we'll find the air crew."

FMI: www.army.mil