Three Dead In Minnesota National Guard Helicopter Crash

Three people are dead after a Minnesota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Minnesota today.

The helicopter went down in a farm field south near Kimball about two hours after it took off from St. Cloud Thursday afternoon. The names of those who died have not been released yet.

The National Guard says it lost contact with the helicopter shortly after it took off for a maintenance test flight. Guard officials say the helicopter called mayday about nine minutes after takeoff.

It’s unclear what caused the crash. An investigation is underway.