Coast Guard Helicopter Crash Kills 4 in Humboldt County
Four U.S. Coast Guard members were killed Tuesday morning when their helicopter crashed just a few minutes after the pilot radioed that the craft was heading into fog.
The Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crashed on land, killing the two pilots and two crew members, said California Department of Forestry Fire Capt. Ron Samuelson.
Their identities were withheld pending notification of family.
The last radio contact with the helicopter was about 5 a.m., shortly after the crew said it was descending through fog to assist a vessel stranded on rocks near Shelter Cove. The coastal town is in Humboldt County about 160 miles northwest of San Francisco.
Wreckage from the crash was found about 6:30 a.m., said Petty Officer Darrell Wilson, a Coast Guard spokesman.
“They had radio contact with them and then they just lost radio contact,” Wilson said.
Crews were scheduled to cut a trail through steep terrain to get to the crash site and remove the bodies.
“It’s going to take quite an effort to get the people out,” Samuelson said.
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