Army UH-60 Down in Hawaii, 5 Aboard and Now Missing

[PastTense]

Rescue crews are searching for an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with five people aboard that crashed about two miles off Kaena Point late Tuesday.

Coast Guard and Army rescue have been deployed, and a debris field was spotted by air about 11:28 p.m. Tuesday.

The Coast Guard got a report of a possible downed aircraft about 10:08 p.m. Tuesday from personnel at Wheeler Army Airfield. Officials said they lost communications with one of their UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews.

Two Black Hawk aircrews were reportedly conducting training between Kaena Point and Dillingham Airfield at the time communications were lost.

The winds on scene are about 11 mph, with 2-foot seas.

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane and MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Barbers Point has responded, along with an Army aircrew and Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department boats.
5 missing after Army chopper crashes off Oahu - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL (http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/36147766/coast-guard-searching-for-5-missing-after-army-helicopter-reportedly-crashes-off-oahu)

[PastTense]

Update: 2 p.m.

Lt. Col. Curtis Kellogg, spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division, said this afternoon that the Army has notified all the families of the five soldiers who are missing after the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they were flying in Tuesday night crashed into the sea off Kaena Point. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the soldiers at this difficult time,” he said at an afternoon press conference with spokesmen from other search agencies at the Haleiwa Harbor command center.

He said the Army is keeping the families updated as the search-and-rescue operation continues with participation of the Army, Coast Guard, Honolulu firefighters and city Ocean Safety lifeguards. The helicopter had two pilots and three crewmen when it crashed.

Kellogg praised the multi-agency team effort to find the missing soldiers. “Everyone here is committed to this endeavor that you see before you,” he said.

He stressed that the operation remains a search-and-research mission. “We are here to bring our soldiers home to their families,” Kellogg said.

Coast Guard Lt. Scott Carr said the search is concentrated in an area three-to-five miles off Kaena Point. HFD Capt. David Jenkins noted the water in the area is 500 to 600 feet deep.
Search continues for 5 soldiers after Black Hawk copter crashes off Oahu (http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/08/16/breaking-news/coast-guard-hfd-search-for-downed-aircraft-off-kaena-point/)

[PastTense]

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.

"This is normal and we have the assets, and the resources to plan for it," Lt. Scott Carr, a spokesman for the Coast Guard in Hawaii, said as rescuers prepared for a third night of searching.
Search area expands for Army helicopter missing off Hawaii - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/missing-army-helicopter-crashes-ocean-off-hawaii-49267681)

[rrekn]

Here's a question. Who don't military types like the Seahawk have emergency floats like civil types?


Appreciate the Blackhawk being an onshore type wouldn't have them anyway.

[cobraPA]

Do civil have emergency floats or landing floats? It's required to carry life preserves for crew when operating in vicinity of water, but I suspect 'emergency float' wouldn't be effective in a lot of cases.

[PastTense]

The Army has suspended its search for five soldiers missing since their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the ocean off Hawaii last week.

After five days, “operations have now shifted to recovery and salvage efforts,” Army officials said in a news release issued Monday. The missing were identified as:
1st Lt. Kathryn M. Bailey, 26, of Hope Mills, N.C. She is an aviation officer.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brian M. Woeber, 41, of Decatur, Ala. He is a pilot.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stephen T. Cantrell, 32, of Wichita Falls, Tex. He is a pilot.
Staff Sgt. Abigail R. Milam, 33, of Jenkins, Ky. She is a helicopter crew chief.
Sgt. Michael L. Nelson, 30, of Antioch, Tenn. He is a helicopter crew chief.

Woeber, Cantrell and Nelson each had made combat deployments, the Army said.

All five soldiers are members of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Wheeler Army Airfield in Oahu. The Army has designated them “duty status: whereabouts unknown.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/08/21/army-suspends-search-for-crashed-helicopter-identifies-missing-crew/