Navy Helicopter Crashes With Six People Onboard
A Navy helicopter crashed into San Diego Bay on Thursday evening, according to The Daily Wire. The incident reportedly happened at around 6:40 p.m. during a training exercise with crewmembers inside.
Navy Helicopter Carrying Six People Crashes Into San Diego Bay https://t.co/mqRneDIbuj pic.twitter.com/GXywPUFqMP
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) January 12, 2024
Two pilots and four aircrew were said to be onboard the aircraft at the time. Luckily, they all survived the crash after they were rescued by a nearby Navy boat off the coast of Coronado.
According to Cmdr. Beth Teach of the Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet, the Navy boat had been placed nearby due to the nature of the training which had those onboard conducting day-into-night search and rescue training.
Part of the training requires dropping the aircrew into the water for them to practice as rescue swimmers, per Teach. When the crash happened, the pilots and the crew members managed to eject themselves from the helicopter thanks to the “robust swim and survival training” they had.
The Federal Fire Department San Francisco and a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard also assisted in rescuing the crew members.
According to Navy officials, the crew members were taken for medical evaluations. While their exact conditions are not known, they reportedly did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.
However, officials say the cause of the crash is not known yet and is under investigation.
The helicopter crash comes a week after an Airforce aircraft crash landed in South Dakota during a training mission on Jan. 4. The aircraft, a B-1 Lancer bomber, reportedly crash landed while it was trying to land on Ellsworth Air Force Base. According to the Air Force, there were poor winter weather conditions when the crash occurred.
It had four aircrew on board at the time of the accident. All four, too, did not suffer any life threatening injuries and were ejected safely.