Honduras Copter Crash Victims Identified as Calif. Women

The two dead and one missing crew members of a U.S. Army helicopter that crashed in the mountains of Honduras while on a medical evacuation mission were female members of the California National Guard, the Guard said Wednesday.

An active Army man aboard the chopper was injured and evacuated to a hospital.

Authorities said the cause of the crash is unknown and is under investigation by an Army team dispatched from Ft. Rucker, Ala. They said there was no indication that the copter was downed by hostile fire.

The Bell UH-1H helicopter from Sota Cano Air Base crashed at about the 3,000-foot level about at 11:35 p.m. Monday, said Major Bruce Roy.

The confirmed dead were identified as 1st Lt. Vicki Boyd, 30, of Salinas, Calif., the co-pilot, and Staff Sgt. Linda Simonds, 34, of Sacramento, a medic.

Reported missing was the pilot, Capt. Sashai Dawn, 34, also of Sacramento.

According to Roy, they were members of a 12-person team that had been sent to Honduras April 10 to aid in a humanitarian medical evacuation mission. The members were assigned to the 126th Medical Co. Air Ambulance headquartered in Sacramento.

The injured active duty Army man, who was not identified, was from Ft. Carson, Colo.