2 Missing After U.S. Navy Helicopter Crashes in Red Sea

Update: Search and rescue (SAR) efforts for the remaining two crewmembers involved in a U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter crash were suspended Sept. 23 at approximately 3 p.m. Bahrain time. Navy officials have concluded that given the time elapsed since the incident, aircrew survivability was extremely unlikely. The location of the crash site is known, and an extensive area has been searched multiple times by various ships and aircraft.

The Navy is currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Names of the service members are currently being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.

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An MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 crashed in the central Red Sea on Sunday, after conducting a landing on the deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110).

Three personnel are accounted for and stable. Search efforts continue for two remaining personnel.

Assisting in the search and rescue are USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS William P. Lawrence, USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) as well as MH-60S Knighthawks from HSC-6, and MH-60R Seahawks from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 and one P-3 from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47.

The crash was not due to any sort of hostile activity.

The incident is under investigation.