navy-helicopter-crashes-during-routine-flight-uss-abraham-lincoln

Navy Helicopter Crashes During Routine Flight From USS Abraham Lincoln

A United States Navy helicopter has crashed and several military members are currently missing off the coast of Southern California. A routine flight turned into a devastating crash. The incident reportedly happened near the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, according to Daily Mail.

Reportedly, the crash happened around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A MH-60S helicopter was the aircraft involved in the crash. The Navy uses the MH-60S for a variety of reasons. The helicopter model has flown into combat missions, search and rescue, and aided in natural disasters as well. According to the Navy’s US Pacific Fleet’s official account, the incident happened around 60 nautical miles from San Diego.

After the crash, the Navy launched a search and rescue operation. But currently, there are still five Navy service members missing. The military branch gave an official statement on the incident. They said the helicopter was “conducting routine flight operations” when the crash occurred. Additionally, the helicopter had been near the USS Abraham Lincoln.

“Search and rescue operations are ongoing with multiple Coast Guard and Navy air and surface assets,” a tweet said.

Navy has used MH-60S helicopters since 2002. In fact, the branch currently uses more than 250 of the aircraft in service. The helicopter has a range of 250 nautical miles. It can also reach up to 180 knots as well. The Navy called the crash a “tragedy.” Currently, we have no more details on the situation. It’s unknown if there are any deaths or the status of the missing service members.

Navy Warship Goes Up In Flames

The helicopter crash isn’t the only ill-fated event to befall the Navy in recent times. Additionally, the USS Bonhomme Richard warship caught fire last year. Rather than an accident, the Navy recently determined the fire was caused by one of their own.

The sailor in question will face arson charges for the offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. There’s potential for him to face a court-martial as well. The fire burned for four days and ended up injuring more than 60 people. It also destroyed the assault ship as well.

“The Sailor was a member of Bonhomme Richard’s crew at the time and is accused of starting the fire,” U.s 3rd Fleet and Navy Commander Sean Robertson says via Reuters Friday.

Currently, it’s unknown whether the sailor intentionally decided to set the blaze. Or if the fire happened to due to an unintended act. But the damage is well known by this point. The fire ended up costing the Navy more than a billion dollars when the warship went up in flames. It started in the lower cargo before spreading to the rest of the ship. Thankfully no one was killed.