Search area expands for Army helicopter missing off Hawaii

 

August 18, 2017



HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it was now searching up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) off Hawaii for five soldiers missing after their Black Hawk helicopter crashed during nighttime training.

Swift and dynamic currents prompted the rapid expansion. About 24 hours earlier, the search was focused on waters about 5 miles (8 kilometers) off shore.

Coast Guard officials said they were prepared for this, as the search entered a third night. Two pilots and three air crew members went missing when their helicopter lost communication with another Black Hawk at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"This is normal and we have the assets, and the resources to plan for it," said Lt. Scott Carr, a spokesman for the Coast Guard in Hawaii.

The water depth varies across the vast area. Rescue crews were only searching on the surface for the time being.

Airplanes were scouring the outer edges of the search area. Helicopters and vessels were searching closer in, about 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 kilometers) offshore. The Army, Marine Corps and Navy joined the search along with Honolulu firefighters and lifeguards.

"Everyone has been resolute and determined that we are going to get after this and bring our soldiers home," said Lt. Col. Curtis Kellogg, a spokesman for the Army's 25th Infantry Division. "That's what we're focused on. And you can see it in everything they do. There's a purpose, there's a seriousness and there's a determination."

On Wednesday, firefighters found and collected what appeared to be pieces of helicopter fuselage and a helmet.

Two Black Hawk crews were conducting training between Kaena Point and Dillingham Airfield when communications were lost.

Kaena is a rugged spot where Oahu's northern and western coasts meet to form a small peninsula. Officials closed the state park at Kaena Point while the search was underway.

The two helicopters are part of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade based in Hawaii.

The UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine utility helicopter manufactured for the Army by Sikorsky Aircraft starting in the 1970s.

More than 3,000 Black Hawk aircraft are in service around the world, according to Sikorsky's parent company Lockheed Martin. The U.S. Army owns 2,300 of them.

In April, one crew member was killed and two others were injured when an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed onto a golf course in Maryland during a routine training flight.

In 2015, 11 crew members were killed when an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the water off Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

 

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