(Washington Insider Magazine) -The MH-60S Seahawk crashed off the deck of an aircraft carrier on August 31 and the helicopter was recovered eight days later on October 8.
Reports say the helicopter started to feel unexpected side-to-side vibrations upon landing on the Abraham Lincoln carrier, resulting in the main rotor colliding with the flight deck and the aircraft itself falling over the side of the ship.
A Naval Sea Systems Command salvage and dive team went to a depth of 5,300 feet to recover the helicopter and its passengers.
Five sailors lost their lives in the accident and an additional five on the aircraft carrier were left injured, while one crew member onboard the helicopter was rescued.
Upon recovering five sets of human remains within the aircraft, The Navy transferred them to the Delaware Dover Air Force base for formal identification. The sailors were then named as: Bradley A. Foster, 29 (Pilot); Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28 (Pilot); Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31, Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31; and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21.
The salvage ship, HOS Bayou, arrived at the Naval Air Station North Island on Sunday, October 10, along with the helicopter wreckage and the remains of the five sailors.
This became the twelfth ‘Class-A Mishaps’ this year alone, which is the most serious category of incident that results in fatality, permanent disability, destroyed aircraft or damages amounting to over $2.5 million.
An investigation into the crash itself is now ongoing.
