Pave Hawk
CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports from the Pentagon
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CNN's Jamie McIntyre describes the Black Hawk/Pave Hawk (336K/28 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

LAS VEGAS (CNN) -- All 12 people on board two Air Force helicopters that crashed early Friday near Las Vegas are dead, the Pentagon has confirmed.

The two Pave Hawk helicopters, flying out of Nellis Air Force Base, were on a training mission over the Nevada desert about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas when they crashed about 1 a.m. Each aircraft had a crew of six on board.

While it is considered most likely that the helicopters crashed after colliding with each other, Nellis spokesman Mike Estrada said it was possible they could have crashed independently in the rugged, remote terrain.

The exercise called for the use of night-vision goggles, and military officials assume crew members were using the goggles at the time of the crash, Estrada said. The military was in the process of notifying family members of the victims.

The Pave Hawks departed Nellis at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and were due back at 12:30 a.m. Friday. Air Force officials said the helicopters were reported overdue at 1 a.m., and the crash site was located about an hour later.

The Pave Hawk can carry up to 27 people, according to Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide, but it normally carries a crew of six people. It is built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

If the crash does turn out to be the result of a collision, it would be the worst midair collision between U.S. military helicopters since May 10, 1996, when two Marine helicopters collided in North Carolina, killing 14.

Those helicopters were taking part in a night mock invasion exercise when they got too close to each other.