U.S. Navy Helicopter Crashes During Training Exercise

A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed into a Southern California bay during a training exercise on Thursday night, according to a spokesperson. Fortunately, all six crewmembers survived the incident.

The crash occurred in the waters of San Diego Bay shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to a statement from Cmdr. Beth Teach of the Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet. The statement mentioned that a safety boat was present due to the nature of the training, and the crew members were promptly brought ashore for medical evaluations.

While there is no immediate information on their conditions, Navy officials have reported that there are no critical or life-threatening injuries among the crew members. The crash site, located in Coronado across an inlet from San Diego, received assistance from the local Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

The involved aircraft belongs to Helicopter Maritime Strike squadron 41, a fleet replacement squadron based at Naval Air Station North Island on the Coronado peninsula. The squadron’s primary purpose is to train air crews on the MH-60R Seahawk, which serves as the Navy’s main helicopter for anti-submarine warfare and carries out various other missions such as reconnaissance and search-and-rescue operations, as stated on the Navy’s website.