Norfolk, Virginia: US Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon Helicopter Crashes; 4 Rescued, 1 Missing
There were five people on board.
Rescue boats and another helicopter responded, rescuing four of the persons. The fifth remains missing, NBC reported.
The Navy has a base in Norfolk, the Naval Station Norfolk, also known as NS Norfolk or the Norfolk Naval Base. It’s the world’s largest naval station, supporting 75 ships and 134 aircraft.
The Sea Dragon is currently out of production but current models are still being used for missions, the Navy said on its website.
It typically two pilots and a craft of one to six people.
Story developing; check back for updates
Breaking News: U.S. Navy Helicopter Crashes Off Virginia Coast |
By: weather.com and Associated Press
Published: January 8, 2014
FILE U.S. Navy/Wikipedia
The U.S. Navy tweeted an MH-53E Sea Dragon aircraft, like the one in this photo, is what crashed off the coast of Virginia.
Petty Officer David Weydert says the helicopter was reported down about 11 a.m. Wednesday. He said there was no immediate word on any casualties.
Weydert said two Coast Guard vessels were responding to the crash site, and one was within 3 miles of where the helicopter went down.
There is no immediate word what could have caused the aircraft to go down.
(FORECAST: January Thaw After Deep Freeze)
There were clear skies, light winds and temperatures in the upper 20s at the time, according to weather.com meteorologist Alan Raymond.
The Navy tweeted that a search and rescue mission continued.
#BREAKING: #USNavy confirms search and rescue operations continue for down CH-53E off coast of #Norfolk, Virginia. More to follow.
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) January 8, 2014
Stay with weather.com for more on this breaking story.(http://www.wistv.com/story/24395908/us-navy-helicopter-crashed-off-coast-of-virginia)
US Navy helicopter crashed off coast of Virginia
Posted: Jan 08, 2014 12:25 PM EST Updated: Jan 08, 2014 12:48 PM EST
A MH-53E Sea Dragon, similar to this one, has crashed off the coast of Virginia. (Source: U.S. Navy)MORE
US Air Force helicopter crashes in UK; 4 believed dead
CLAY, UNITED KINGDOM (BRIAN EGAN/CNN) – A U.S. Air Force helicopter crashed along the coast of England Tuesday.
Local authorities say four people are believed dead in the incident, but the Pentagon does not yet have the official status of those on board.
Continue reading >>Local authorities say four people are believed dead in the incident, but the Pentagon does not yet have the official status of those on board.
Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Virginia Beach Fired Department are helping with the search.
According to the Naval Air Systems Command website, the MH-53E is mainly used to find mines and can operate from carriers. It can carry up to 55 troops or a 16-ton payload, according to the U.S. Navy. They are also used in heavy-lift operations.
The MH-53E is about 99 feet long, and weighs about 69,750 pounds, and can travel up to 172 mph. The crew can consist of two pilots and up to six aircrew, according to the Naval Air Systems Command.
According to the Hampton Roads Pilot, the Navy had planned to phase out the Sea Dragons, but did not have replacement ready, so the helicopters were upgraded.
On Tuesday, a U.S. Air Force helicopter crashed on the coast of southern England, killing the four people on board.
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(http://news.sky.com/story/1192195/us-navy-helicopter-crashes-off-virginia)
( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/08/low-flying-norfolk-nature-reserve-accident)
US Navy Helicopter Crashes Off Virginia
The US military sees its second helicopter crash in as many days following the crash that killed four in England.
The Navy says an MH-53E similar to this one crashed off Virginia
Four people have been rescued and one person remains missing after a US Navy helicopter crashed off the coast of Virginia.
The US Coast Guard says the search is ongoing for the missing crew
member aboard the MH-53E when it crashed about 18 miles east of Virginia
Beach.The conditions of the four rescued was not immediately known.
Petty Officer David Weydert said the helicopter was reported down about 11am local time.
Two Coast Guard vessels responded to the crash site.
The crash is the second US military helicopter accident in as many days.
Four crew members were killed when their Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in Norfolk, England, during a training mission on Tuesday.
The helicopter was taking part in a low-flying exercise when it came down in Cley Next the Sea.
More follows...
(http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/08/low-flying-norfolk-nature-reserve-accident)
Low flying over Norfolk nature reserve 'was accident waiting to happen'
Cley parish council leader says military aircraft were seen flying as low as 10ft over area that is a breeding ground for birds
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A fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters flying over RAF Lakenheath. Photograph: US air force/RAF/PA
There have been longstanding concerns about low-flying military
aircraft carrying out training exercises over the Norfolk coast where a
US air force helicopter crash killed four crew members on Tuesday
night.
As police launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, local residents and politicians said they had seen military aircraft flying as low as 10ft (3 metres) above Cley Marshes nature reserve.
Richard Kelham, chair of Cley parish council, said flying so close to a breeding ground for birds was an "accident waiting to happen" and had prompted complaints to nearby RAF bases. Another councillor said regulations had been introduced about 15 years ago to order the aircraft to fly higher when using the area near Salthouse.
"We used to complain to the commanding officer who bluntly told us to piss off. In a sense it's an accident waiting to happen," Kelham said.
"We do feel for the families of the crew but they were put in a position they shouldn't be in. This is a place for birds."
He said the council had complained to RAF Marham and to RAF Lakenheath, which hosts US air force units and was home to the crashed aircraft.
"It's the oldest and one of the biggest and most famous bird reserves in the country. We're not happy about them flying low. It's not uncommon and we certainly don't raise an eyebrow," he said.
"You used to get Tornados [RAF aircraft] screaming about at roof height, but that doesn't happen so much now, and before that A-10s [US air force planes] flying across the beach 10ft up."
Councillor Jennifer Murray said she could see the flashing lights of emergency service vehicles from her home near where the helicopter came down. She said regulations had been introduced about 15 years ago to order aircraft to fly higher, but the military continued to use the National Wildlife Trust area as a training site.
"A few months ago there were three of those little black helicopters hovering over each other for about half an hour – we always see them," she said.
Asked whether she had seen military aircraft flying low, Murray said: "They always have done. At one time there was a regulation that they had to be higher, about 15 years ago. But I don't think there have been any [crashes] in the last 30-plus years. I don't think there have been any great problems."
Wendy Wyatt, a former councillor, said she had complained many times about aircraft that fly so low they cause her seafront cottage to tremble. Last year Wyatt's home was so close to a low-flying military helicopter that the pilot was able to wave from his cockpit window, she said.
"They are going too low. I don't know whether they are allowed to but something needs to be done," she said.
"There have been instances where a lot of other locals have complained.
"I had to call Lakenheath [the RAF base] because my house shakes when they come across through Glaven valley and then go out to sea. There's been huge helicopters in the marshes and there are quite scary aeroplanes that land in the fields.
"It's quite frightening thinking they are carrying guns and bullets. They do very low things and I know it's not right but you can only complain so many times."
Wyatt, who lives close to the crash site, said she suspected an aircraft had ditched into the marshes after hearing a "really strange noise" when she went outside to collect some wood.
"I didn't know whether it was a helicopter coming down and then I thought: 'Oh, something's crashed'," she said.
"I went inside not thinking any more of it, put my son to bed and there was lots of noise and cars – a lot more than there usually are – and then that's all I heard until 10pm when [the] BBC phoned me."
A woman who lives half a mile from the crash site said it was unnerving to see aircraft flying so close to the ground on training exercises.
"We do get low-flying helicopters. There's been occasions where you do feel that's a bit low and it's slightly unnerving," said the woman, who declined to be named.
She said military aircraft flew "reasonably often" in the area, which is away from buildings.
Norman Lamb, the North Norfolk MP whose constituency includes the crash site, told Sky News he had been worried about helicopter training exercises in the area. He said the model of aircraft that crashed, an HH-60G Pave Hawk, was "regarded as a very reliable helicopter".
On Wednesday Norfolk police enforced a strict no-fly zone over the crash site as investigators continued attempts to recover the bodies of the four crew members. The area is strewn with bullets from the crashed aircraft.
Cley Marshes is a popular spot for birdwatchers. The saltmarshes are home to large birds including pink-footed geese, wintering wildfowl and marsh harrier.
Carl Bishop, who runs boat tours nearby, said: "It is very common around there to see helicopters. They do a lot of low flying. It's not every day but once a week, usually at night-time."
As police launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, local residents and politicians said they had seen military aircraft flying as low as 10ft (3 metres) above Cley Marshes nature reserve.
Richard Kelham, chair of Cley parish council, said flying so close to a breeding ground for birds was an "accident waiting to happen" and had prompted complaints to nearby RAF bases. Another councillor said regulations had been introduced about 15 years ago to order the aircraft to fly higher when using the area near Salthouse.
"We used to complain to the commanding officer who bluntly told us to piss off. In a sense it's an accident waiting to happen," Kelham said.
"We do feel for the families of the crew but they were put in a position they shouldn't be in. This is a place for birds."
He said the council had complained to RAF Marham and to RAF Lakenheath, which hosts US air force units and was home to the crashed aircraft.
"It's the oldest and one of the biggest and most famous bird reserves in the country. We're not happy about them flying low. It's not uncommon and we certainly don't raise an eyebrow," he said.
"You used to get Tornados [RAF aircraft] screaming about at roof height, but that doesn't happen so much now, and before that A-10s [US air force planes] flying across the beach 10ft up."
Councillor Jennifer Murray said she could see the flashing lights of emergency service vehicles from her home near where the helicopter came down. She said regulations had been introduced about 15 years ago to order aircraft to fly higher, but the military continued to use the National Wildlife Trust area as a training site.
"A few months ago there were three of those little black helicopters hovering over each other for about half an hour – we always see them," she said.
Asked whether she had seen military aircraft flying low, Murray said: "They always have done. At one time there was a regulation that they had to be higher, about 15 years ago. But I don't think there have been any [crashes] in the last 30-plus years. I don't think there have been any great problems."
Wendy Wyatt, a former councillor, said she had complained many times about aircraft that fly so low they cause her seafront cottage to tremble. Last year Wyatt's home was so close to a low-flying military helicopter that the pilot was able to wave from his cockpit window, she said.
"They are going too low. I don't know whether they are allowed to but something needs to be done," she said.
"There have been instances where a lot of other locals have complained.
"I had to call Lakenheath [the RAF base] because my house shakes when they come across through Glaven valley and then go out to sea. There's been huge helicopters in the marshes and there are quite scary aeroplanes that land in the fields.
"It's quite frightening thinking they are carrying guns and bullets. They do very low things and I know it's not right but you can only complain so many times."
Wyatt, who lives close to the crash site, said she suspected an aircraft had ditched into the marshes after hearing a "really strange noise" when she went outside to collect some wood.
"I didn't know whether it was a helicopter coming down and then I thought: 'Oh, something's crashed'," she said.
"I went inside not thinking any more of it, put my son to bed and there was lots of noise and cars – a lot more than there usually are – and then that's all I heard until 10pm when [the] BBC phoned me."
A woman who lives half a mile from the crash site said it was unnerving to see aircraft flying so close to the ground on training exercises.
"We do get low-flying helicopters. There's been occasions where you do feel that's a bit low and it's slightly unnerving," said the woman, who declined to be named.
She said military aircraft flew "reasonably often" in the area, which is away from buildings.
Norman Lamb, the North Norfolk MP whose constituency includes the crash site, told Sky News he had been worried about helicopter training exercises in the area. He said the model of aircraft that crashed, an HH-60G Pave Hawk, was "regarded as a very reliable helicopter".
On Wednesday Norfolk police enforced a strict no-fly zone over the crash site as investigators continued attempts to recover the bodies of the four crew members. The area is strewn with bullets from the crashed aircraft.
Cley Marshes is a popular spot for birdwatchers. The saltmarshes are home to large birds including pink-footed geese, wintering wildfowl and marsh harrier.
Carl Bishop, who runs boat tours nearby, said: "It is very common around there to see helicopters. They do a lot of low flying. It's not every day but once a week, usually at night-time."
(Blogger's note: After having been brought to my attention, it is curious that both helicopter crashes took place in an area called Norfolk. Could it be that this is a quiet declaration of war on the United States of America, with collaborators inside the U.S.?)
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