Navy Copter Crashes, 3 Missing

Three people were missing late Sunday after a Navy helicopter with six on board crashed into the Pacific while on military exercises, authorities said.

The mishap occurred shortly after 11 a.m. about 18 miles southwest of Camp Pendleton as the UH-1N “Huey” reportedly radioed that it was going down, according to Marine Capt. Chris Gillette.

The chopper was en route from San Diego to its home ship, the Long Beach-based amphibious assault ship Peleliu, and was about three miles from the ship when it encountered trouble.

Three crewmen--two pilots and a crew chief--along with three passengers were on board when the helicopter went down, authorities said. One pilot was apparently among the three survivors transported to the Balboa Navy Hospital in San Diego.

One of those rescued was listed in serious condition with a head injury. The other two reportedly suffered minor injuries, Capt. Gillette said.

The Navy is not releasing the identification of the survivors nor the missing men pending notification of relatives. The cause of the crash is unknown.

“The Peleliu was the mother ship,” Capt. Gillette said. “It appears the helicopter sent out word before it went down that it was having difficulty.”

The “Huey” helicopter is a light utility aircraft that can hold up to 10 people. “The Navy uses it to get people from ship to ship and deliver mail,” said Lt. Patrick Gibbons, a Marine spokesman at Camp Pendleton. “It doesn’t hold many people. It’s pretty light.”

The Peleliu dispatched a transport boat and several helicopters to assist in the search, which also involved a Coast Guard cutter and several other Navy aircraft, which arrived on the scene from area bases, Capt. Gillette said.

“The assault ship also has a squadron of 24 helicopters,” Capt. Gillette said. “I’m sure that not all were dispatched, but enough to cover the search area.”

The Peleliu is participating in exercises involving the Navy’s Amphibious Squadron Three, based in San Diego, and the 15th Marine Expeditionary force based at Camp Pendleton, Lt. Givens said.

Dubbed Kernal Usher, the nine-day deployment exercises end Sept. 14 and involve at least six Navy ships and more than 15,000 Navy and Marine personnel, he said.