Missing Panther Helicopter Apparently 'Impacted The Side Of A Mountain'

The Mexican Navy Secretariat said Wednesday that the wreckage of a missing Panther helicopter has been located in the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The aircraft apparently "impacted the side of a mountain," according to officials.

Those on board the helicopter reportedly were a captain, two officers, and an enlisted man. The helos are used by the Mexican Navy for "surveillance, transportation, exploration, search and rescue operations."

Fox News reports that the aircraft was flying between Manzanillo in Colima state and Morelia, the capital of Michoacan state. Its final destination was a base in Minatitlan, in the eastern state of Veracruz. It had taken part in a mission in the Pacific region, according to the secretariat. It was found in a mountainous region about 11 miles east of the city of Pihuamo.

The officials said the cause of the accident is under investigation. The Navy is actively engaged in combating drug cartels, a war declared by Mexican President Felipe Calderon shortly after he took office in 2006.

(Panther helicopter file photo)

FMI: http://www.semar.gob.mx/english/