USCG MH60 accident 11-14-23 serious injuries

[havoc]

4 crew flown to Seattle for treatment after Coast Guard helicopter crash in Southeast Alaska - Anchorage Daily News (arcpublishing.com) (https://cdn-www.adn.arcpublishing.com/alaska-news/aviation/2023/11/14/all-aboard-survive-coast-guard-helicopter-crash-in-southeast-alaska/)

[SASless]

I know a young Coastie that crews on a Jayhawk out of there....both his parents retired from the Coast Guard.

He loves his job and is proud of what they do....and rightfully so.

They go out when everyone else is coming in.

[Lonewolf_50]

Here's hoping they recover and get back in the air.

[Phil Kemp]

I've spent a lot of time working in this area, and you are absolutely in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains, forests and water. Hope everything works out for the crew.
https://alaskapublic.org/2023/11/14/4-coast-guardsmen-hurt-in-helicopter-crash-near-petersburg/4 Coast Guardsmen hurt in helicopter crash near PetersburgBy Shelby Herbert, KFSK - Petersburg (https://alaskapublic.org/author/shelbyherbertkfsk/) November 14, 2023https://media.alaskapublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/USCGHelo211002_2-830x553-1.jpg
A U.S. Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter flies over Juneau, Alaska, on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (Mikko Wilson/KTOO)

Four U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew members were injured in a crash Monday evening as they responded to a flooding fishing vessel near Petersburg.

According to an initial Facebook post from the Coast Guard, the HH-60 Jayhawk crashed at about 10:40 p.m. Monday on Read Island in Farragut Bay, about 22 miles northwest of Petersburg. Two crew members were severely injured in the crash, and the other two suffered only minor injuries.

The crew of the downed Jayhawk were on their way from Air Station Sitka to assist the Lydia Marie, a commercial crabbing vessel, which was taking on water near Farragut Bay.

After the helicopter crash, the Coast Guard cutters Elderberry and Douglas Denman responded to the flooding vessel. At the time of the initial response, the crew of the Lydia Marie had contained the flooding to a manageable level.

Several agencies, including Petersburg Search and Rescue and EMS, came to assist the downed helicopter. Air Station Sitka sent another helicopter to take all four crew members to Petersburg Medical Center. They were later flown to Seattle for additional medical care.

Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer First Class Shannon Kearney said Tuesday that no preliminary information was available on the cause of the crash.

“We are working to launch a full investigation,” Kearney said. “Any information that we get from the investigation, we’ll be forthcoming with.”

Petersburg Search and Rescue volunteers reported strong winds and snowfall in the area. According to the National Weather Service, there was reduced visibility across the area from rain and snow storms, as well as wind speeds that reached up to 45 mph.

[Phil Kemp]

https://www.ktoo.org/2023/11/16/2-coast-guard-crash-survivors-released-from-hospital-2-others-improving/2 Coast Guard crash survivors released from hospital, 2 others improvingNovember 16, 2023 by KCAW - Sitka (https://www.ktoo.org/author/kcaw-sitka/)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231115_CGHELICOPTER.jpg
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka pends investigation Nov. 14, 2023
after it crashed on Read Island, Alaska.

The helicopter crash occurred Nov. 13, at approximately 11:05 p.m. All four crewmembers survived. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)Two of the Coast Guard crew members who were involved in a helicopter crash in Southeast Alaska late Monday night (https://www.ktoo.org/2023/11/14/all-crew-survive-following-air-station-sitka-helicopter-crash/) were released from the hospital Wednesday.

According to a Coast Guard press release, the other two crew members with severe injuries remain hospitalized in Washington state, but their conditions have improved.

The crew from Air Station Sitka was on a search and rescue mission, responding to a fishing boat that was taking on water near Farragut Bay, about 20 miles northwest of Petersburg, when their helicopter crashed on Read Island. While Petersburg’s search and rescue team and coast guard crews responded to the downed helicopter, the Coast Guard Cutter Elderberry oversaw the dewatering of the fishing vessel Lydia Marie and escorted the boat back to Petersburg.

The Coast Guard has not released the names of the crew members or any information on what may have caused the crash, though weather conditions at the time of the accident included reduced visibility in the area from rain and snow storms and up to 45 mile per hour winds. An investigation into the crash is ongoing.