Two chief warrant officers who were killed when their Apache attack helicopter crashed during a training mission near the airport in Boise, Idaho, were identified on Friday.

CW4 Stien P. Gearhart, 50, and CW4 Jon L. Hartway, 43, were the only two soldiers aboard the aircraft when it went down Thursday evening, the Idaho National Guard said.

Both were assigned to the 1-183rd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion headquartered at Gowen Field in Boise. Gearhart lived in Meridian, Idaho, and Hartway lived in Kuna, Idaho.

The cause of the crash will be investigated by the Department of Defense.

The helicopter crashed about two miles south of the National Guard base near Boise International Airport, Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano said. It wasn't immediately clear whether the pilots were heading to or returning from a mission.

Marsano also didn't know whether any communication was heard from the helicopter prior to the crash. There was no fire, he said.

The Idaho Army National Guard had 16 Apache helicopters at its Gowen Field training base and a training area about 20 miles south of the field. Pilots also train over other areas.

"The men and women of the Idaho National Guard are united in grief at the loss of two of our brothers in arms, who gave their lives while training to defend our nation," Maj. Gen. Gary Sayler, commander of the Idaho National Guard, said in a statement.

Marsano said the families had requested privacy.

—The Associated Press

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