U.S. Navy chopper down off Virginia, four of five aboard rescued
Source: Reuters -
Wed, 8 Jan 2014 06:38 PM
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy helicopter went down off the Virginia coast on Wednesday, and four of the five people aboard have been rescued, the military said.
The MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter was on a training flight when it went into the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Story, about 150 miles (240 km) south of Washington, the Navy said in a statement.
A Coast Guard cutter and two helicopters were dispatched to the crash site. Four people were rescued and flown to a hospital in Norfolk, and the extent of injuries was unknown, it said.
None of the crew has been identified. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the statement said.
Coast Guard spokesman Nyx Cangemi said the service received a report about 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) that the aircraft had gone down about 20 miles (32 km) east of Cape Henry, Virginia.
"We are searching for the remaining helicopter crew member," he said.
The helicopter was part of a anti-mine squadron based at Norfolk, Virginia.
Two crewmen dead after Navy helicopter goes down off Va.; one missing
By Elizabeth Chuck, Courtney Kube and Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News
Two crew members died and another is missing after a U.S. Navy helicopter made an emergency water landing off the coast of Virginia on Wednesday, the Navy said.
The helicopter, a MH-53E Sea Dragon, was carrying five crew members when it went down in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning off the coast of Norfolk. Four crew members had been rescued from the water, the Navy initially said, but two of the four rescued were confirmed as dead later on Wednesday.
A search-and-rescue operation was under way for the fifth crew member. The two surviving rescued crew members were being evaluated at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
The conditions of the two known survivors were not known. The crew members' identities were not released.
The water temperature was about 40 degrees at the time of the incident, reported NBC Virginia affiliate WAVY.com.
The MH-53E was conducting a routine training mission when it made the emergency water landing about 20 nautical miles east of Virginia Beach, a U.S. Navy official said. It was conducting the training mission in tandem with another MH-53E at the time.
Nearby Coast Guard assets were first to respond when the helicopter went down. U.S. Navy helicopters responded soon after to help with the search and rescue of the missing sailors.
The aircraft is part of the Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron, based at Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The incident comes a day after four American airmen were killed when a U.S. military helicopter carrying live ammunition crashed on the east coast of England.
The MH-53E does not carry any weapons. It performs airborne mine countermeasures and onboard delivery missions, according to the Naval Air Systems Command website.
Initially, the Navy had said the the helicopter was a CH-53E Super Stallion.
(Reporting by Lacey Johnson; Editing by Ian Simpson, Chizu Nomiyama and Cynthia Osterman)This story was originally published on Wed Jan 8, 2014 12:12 PM EST
2 dead, search canceled for 1 still missing after U.S. Navy helicopter crash off Virginia coast
The U.S. Navy confirmed that two people died after the MH-53E Sea Dragon went down off the coast of Norfolk, Va., Wednesday. Two other crew remain hospitalized and the Coast Guard called of the search to find the fifth on Thursday. By Sasha Goldstein AND Michael Walsh / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Wednesday, January 8, 2014, 12:17 PM
Updated: Thursday, January 9, 2014, 8:08 PM
A U.S. Navy helicopter carrying five people crashed off the Virginia Beach coast about 11 a.m. Wednesday, killing two crew members and leaving another missing.
The search for the missing crew member was called off around 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a more than 30 hour search of a 500 square mile area in the chilly ocean. The cold temps leave little chance of survival after so long.
“We’re not actively looking, but we have an on-the-scene presence,” said Capt. John Little, Coast Guard section commander.
One crew member was immediately killed while the second died later Wednesday at a hospital.
The sailors who died were Lt. Wesley Van Dorn, 29, of Greensboro, N.C., and Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Collins, 25, of Truckee, Calif. Van Dorn was a pilot and Collins a crewman on the flight.
The two survivors were plucked from 42 degree water off Virginia Beach. One has been treated and released while the other survivor remained hospitalized Thursday but could be released as early as Friday. Both were treated at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
“Today has definitely been a tough day on all of us,” Capt. Todd Flannery, the commander of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic, said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our heartfelt prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those killed and injured in today’s crash.”
The Navy confirmed that the helicopter is a MH-53E Sea Dragon, which has two missions: transporting heavy equipment to and from ships and airborne mine hunting.
The Navy initially thought the helicopter is question was the similar CH-53E Super Stallion, which is also used for delivering equipment. Both helicopters are 99 feet long and stand 28 feet, 4 inches tall. They can also reach up to 172 mph.
RELATED: FOUR DEAD AFTER U.S. AIR FORCE HELICOPTER CRASHES IN ENGLAND
The MH-53E is assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field, the Navy confirmed in a release.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the accident and rescue workers are still looking for the fifth and final crew member.
Wed, 8 Jan 2014 06:38 PM
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy helicopter went down off the Virginia coast on Wednesday, and four of the five people aboard have been rescued, the military said.
The MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter was on a training flight when it went into the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Story, about 150 miles (240 km) south of Washington, the Navy said in a statement.
A Coast Guard cutter and two helicopters were dispatched to the crash site. Four people were rescued and flown to a hospital in Norfolk, and the extent of injuries was unknown, it said.
None of the crew has been identified. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the statement said.
Coast Guard spokesman Nyx Cangemi said the service received a report about 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) that the aircraft had gone down about 20 miles (32 km) east of Cape Henry, Virginia.
"We are searching for the remaining helicopter crew member," he said.
The helicopter was part of a anti-mine squadron based at Norfolk, Virginia.
Two crewmen dead after Navy helicopter goes down off Va.; one missing
By Elizabeth Chuck, Courtney Kube and Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News
Two crew members died and another is missing after a U.S. Navy helicopter made an emergency water landing off the coast of Virginia on Wednesday, the Navy said.
The helicopter, a MH-53E Sea Dragon, was carrying five crew members when it went down in the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning off the coast of Norfolk. Four crew members had been rescued from the water, the Navy initially said, but two of the four rescued were confirmed as dead later on Wednesday.
A search-and-rescue operation was under way for the fifth crew member. The two surviving rescued crew members were being evaluated at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
The conditions of the two known survivors were not known. The crew members' identities were not released.
The water temperature was about 40 degrees at the time of the incident, reported NBC Virginia affiliate WAVY.com.
The MH-53E was conducting a routine training mission when it made the emergency water landing about 20 nautical miles east of Virginia Beach, a U.S. Navy official said. It was conducting the training mission in tandem with another MH-53E at the time.
Nearby Coast Guard assets were first to respond when the helicopter went down. U.S. Navy helicopters responded soon after to help with the search and rescue of the missing sailors.
The aircraft is part of the Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron, based at Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The incident comes a day after four American airmen were killed when a U.S. military helicopter carrying live ammunition crashed on the east coast of England.
The MH-53E does not carry any weapons. It performs airborne mine countermeasures and onboard delivery missions, according to the Naval Air Systems Command website.
Initially, the Navy had said the the helicopter was a CH-53E Super Stallion.
(Reporting by Lacey Johnson; Editing by Ian Simpson, Chizu Nomiyama and Cynthia Osterman)This story was originally published on Wed Jan 8, 2014 12:12 PM EST
2 dead, search canceled for 1 still missing after U.S. Navy helicopter crash off Virginia coast
The U.S. Navy confirmed that two people died after the MH-53E Sea Dragon went down off the coast of Norfolk, Va., Wednesday. Two other crew remain hospitalized and the Coast Guard called of the search to find the fifth on Thursday. By Sasha Goldstein AND Michael Walsh / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Published: Wednesday, January 8, 2014, 12:17 PM
Updated: Thursday, January 9, 2014, 8:08 PM
A U.S. Navy helicopter carrying five people crashed off the Virginia Beach coast about 11 a.m. Wednesday, killing two crew members and leaving another missing.
The search for the missing crew member was called off around 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a more than 30 hour search of a 500 square mile area in the chilly ocean. The cold temps leave little chance of survival after so long.
“We’re not actively looking, but we have an on-the-scene presence,” said Capt. John Little, Coast Guard section commander.
One crew member was immediately killed while the second died later Wednesday at a hospital.
The sailors who died were Lt. Wesley Van Dorn, 29, of Greensboro, N.C., and Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Collins, 25, of Truckee, Calif. Van Dorn was a pilot and Collins a crewman on the flight.
The two survivors were plucked from 42 degree water off Virginia Beach. One has been treated and released while the other survivor remained hospitalized Thursday but could be released as early as Friday. Both were treated at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
“Today has definitely been a tough day on all of us,” Capt. Todd Flannery, the commander of Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic, said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our heartfelt prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those killed and injured in today’s crash.”
The Navy confirmed that the helicopter is a MH-53E Sea Dragon, which has two missions: transporting heavy equipment to and from ships and airborne mine hunting.
The Navy initially thought the helicopter is question was the similar CH-53E Super Stallion, which is also used for delivering equipment. Both helicopters are 99 feet long and stand 28 feet, 4 inches tall. They can also reach up to 172 mph.
RELATED: FOUR DEAD AFTER U.S. AIR FORCE HELICOPTER CRASHES IN ENGLAND
The MH-53E is assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field, the Navy confirmed in a release.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the accident and rescue workers are still looking for the fifth and final crew member.