TAIPEI, Oct 20 (AP) -- A Taiwanese navy helicopter has crashed in the Taiwan Straits, killing one crew member and leaving two others missing.

A navy statement said the S-70C anti-submarine helicopter went down Wednesday night while attempting to land on an unidentified Taiwanese warship 39 miles (63 kilometers) off the southern Taiwanese coast.

The navy and coast guard were searching for pilot Sung Yu-shao and crew member Huang Hsien-hua, the statement said. The body of co-pilot Yang Hsun-yuan was recovered.

The statement gave no indication of the cause of the crash.

The principal mission of Taiwan's S-70C helicopter fleet is to monitor the movement of Chinese submarines patrolling near Taiwanese waters.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. Since then Beijing has repeatedly threatened force to try to bring the self-governing island back into its fold.