SAN DIEGOÂ – Search efforts continued today for five military personnel who went missing following a military helicopter crash off the coast of San Diego.
One sailor aboard the MH-60S Knighthawk was pulled from the sea after the aircraft went down roughly 60 nautical miles from shore about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday while its crew was engaging in routine flight operations off the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to U.S. Navy public affairs.
The rescued sailor and two other crew members who were hurt in the accident while engaging in duties aboard the San Diego-based aircraft carrier were taken ashore for medical care in stable condition. Three other personnel suffered minor injuries on the ship and remained aboard, officials said.
Navy and Coast Guard ships and aircraft were still searching for the missing personnel as of late Wednesday morning.
An investigation was underway into what caused the crash of the aircraft, which was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 at Naval Air Station North Island. Navy officials said only that the aircraft “was operating on deck before crashing into the sea.”
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