POINT MUGU : Navy Crewman Dies in Antarctica Crash

A U. S. Navy crewman from Point Mugu was killed and two others injured in a helicopter crash in Antarctica that claimed the lives of three men, authorities said.

Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin W. Micou, 35, of Michigan died in the Tuesday crash of a Navy UH-1N Iroquois during a research mission off the coast of Ross Island in Antarctica.

Also killed in the crash were two New Zealand civilians.

Injured in the crash were pilot Lt. Cmdr. Edward L. Crews, 39, of Baton Rouge, La., and co-pilot Lt. John C. Serralles Jr., 28, of North Patchogue, N.Y. Serralles suffered a broken leg and broken pelvis in the accident, while Crews had frostbite and shock, authorities said.

The injured men survived subfreezing temperatures and high winds for six hours until they were rescued.

The three naval men were members of the Antarctic Development Squadron based at the Point Mugu Naval Air Station. They had begun a six-month tour of duty in Antarctica several days earlier.

The accident occurred when the helicopter crew was flying the New Zealanders to McMurdo Station from a Cape Bird research station, said Michael Fluharty of the National Science Foundation. Nearly 1,200 scientists and support personnel are housed at McMurdo Station, the largest U. S. research facility in Antarctica.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Crews and Serralles were flown to a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand, said Navy Petty Officer Thomas Vance of Point Mugu’s Antarctic Squadron.

Vance said members of the Antarctic unit have flown in Micou’s father from Michigan to await the arrival of his son’s body. “We’re taking every step financially and emotionally we can to ease the burden,” Vance said.