UPDATE:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of the two missing crewmembers aboard the ill-fated MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter.
They died Sept. 22, as a result of the crash. Both sailors were assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Six at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, Calif.
Killed were:
Lt. Cmdr. Landon L. Jones, 35, of Lompoc, Calif., and Chief Warrant Officer Jonathon S. Gibson, 32, of Aurora, Ore.
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Original Post:
You may have read about the U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter that crashed in the central Red Sea two days ago with five crewmembers on board.
The Knighthawk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, crashed after conducting a landing on the deck of guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) at approximately 12:40 p.m. Bahrain time, on Sept. 22, according to the U.S. Navy.
Three crewmembers were accounted for and in stable condition, according to the Navy, and search-and-rescue efforts for the other two crewmembers had been ongoing.
Sadly, the U.S. Navy on Monday suspended search-and-rescue efforts for the remaining two crewmembers at approximately 3 p.m. Bahrain time.
A Navy news release says:
Navy officials have concluded that given the time elapsed since the incident, aircrew survivability was extremely unlikely. The location of the crash site is known, and an extensive area has been searched multiple times by various ships and aircraft.
The Navy adds:
The following assisted in the search and rescue: USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) as well as MH-60S Knighthawks from HSC-6, MH-60R Sea Hawks from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 and several P-3s from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 and a U.S. Air Force HC-130.
The crash was not due to any sort of hostile activity.
The Navy is currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
Names of the service members are currently being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin
Our prayers are with the missing crewmembers, their families and the injured survivors.
Lead image: An MH-60S helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, aboard USS Nimitz (U.S. Navy photo)
