Four Die in Naval Helicopter Crash in Southern Sierra

A China Lake Naval Weapons Center helicopter crashed in Sequoia National Forest on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least four people, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Lt. Mike Gutsch said the helicopter “basically burned to the ground” after crashing near the Kern River in a remote section of the southern Sierra.

Five Navy personnel were aboard, but the fifth person’s fate was not known.

“Four crew members have been confirmed dead, with one remaining unaccounted for at this time,” the weapons center stated in a news release.

The search for the fifth person will resume this morning. Rescue workers were unable to keep looking at night because the crash site is too rugged.

Gutsch said the helicopter was spotted on the ground just before noon with smoke coming out of it. “Then it burst into flames,” he added.

The helicopter was fully engulfed in flames when California forestry, sheriff’s deputies and U.S. forest personnel arrived in Kern River Canyon, said Gutsch and district forest ranger Judy Schutza.

“We have no idea what caused the crash,” Schutza said.

All the victims were Navy personnel from China Lake, about 60 miles east across the Mojave Desert from the crash site. Their names were not released pending notification of next-of-kin.