CHOPPER WITH TWO ON BOARD MISSING IN TENNESSEE

NASHVILLE, Tenn - An Army National Guard helicopter with two people on board
was believed to have crashed after flying into bad weather during a search
for marijuana plantings in the rugged east Tennessee mountains, officials
said on Thursday.

The pilot reported deteriorating weather conditions just before contact with
the OH-58 Kiowa was lost on Wednesday evening, said Randy Harris, public
affairs officer for the Tennessee Army National Guard.

He said search efforts for the craft were halted at dark and resumed on
Thursday, but were being hampered by fog. He said the craft carried a Guard
pilot and a federal law enforcement official who was scouring the remote
area for illegal marijuana fields.

Search efforts were centred in Carter and Sullivan counties east of Johnson
City near the North Carolina state line.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett