NEWPORT NEWS, Va., June 14 (UPI) — A Navy helicopter crashed into the James River during a training mission Tuesday but all three crew members were rescued, the Navy said.
They were taken to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth with non-life-threatening injuries, the Naval Air Force said in a release.
The MH-60S was based at Norfolk Navy Station Chambers Field. And the crew were part of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two.
A call about the incident was first reported at 11:12 a.m. ET.
A good Samaritan vessel rescued the three people, the Coast Guard said.
Boater David Hayslett said the helicopter was hovering low before it crashed.
“I don’t know what exactly happened, and the tail come down and hit the buoy and broke the tail off,” Hayslett told WAVY-TV. “Then the chopper laid sideways, the blades hit the water and the blades went everywhere.”
The Coast Guard, Newport News Fire Department and Virginia Marine Resources Commission were investigating the cause of the crash.
The helicopter was manufactured by Sikorski, which was bought by Lockheed Martin last year.
On its website, Lockheed Martin says, “The MH-60S ‘Sierra’ is the U.S. Navy’s most versatile helicopter, and performs missions including search-and-rescue, MEDEVAC, utility, and vertical replenishment.”
