Aircraft Went Down Late Tuesday Night Off The Northwest Florida Coast

Eleven service members, including seven Marines and four soldiers, are presumed dead after the Black Hawk Helicopter they were aboard went down Tuesday night off the coast of the Florida panhandle.

NBC News reports that military officials say the UH-60 Black Hawk was engaged in a "routine" training mission when it went down. Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland told NBC News that some human remains had been recovered. He also said that some debris, including the aircraft's tail rotor, was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard. Other debris had washed ashore near the Navarre Bridge, which is on a small strip of land between Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

There was dense fog in the area Wednesday morning which hampered the search. Bourland said that there were "weather issues" overnight at well, but did not specify the weather conditions at the time of the accident.

The portion of the beach where the investigation is centered belongs to the military and is used for training. The Marines were attached to a special operations regiment based at Camp LeJeune, NC. The helicopter and air crew were assigned to the Hammond, LA Army National Guard.

The aircraft reportedly departed from Destin, FL and went down in the water. A second aircraft involved in the mission was accounted for.

(Black Hawk image from file)

FMI: www.army.mil