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| Date: | Monday 18 July 1988 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Sikorsky MH-53E |
| Owner/operator: | United States Navy |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | W of San Francisco, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
A Navy helicopter developed from a crash-plagued Marine Corps design crashed into the sea Monday while on minesweeping maneuvers off the Golden Gate, the Coast Guard said. All eight crew members were missing and presumed dead.
Witnesses reported hearing two explosions before seeing pieces of the aircraft plunge into the Pacific.
After several hours of searching the fog-shrouded crash site about 10 miles west of San Francisco, rescue helicopters and Coast Guard vessels found only seven helmets and “lots of wreckage,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Thomas Cowan said.
The search was abandoned for the eight men aboard an MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter that exploded 11 miles west of the Golden Gate during a routine training mission. All eight helmets were recovered by divers, but no bodies were found, the Coast Guard said.
Sources:
Manila Standard 20 July 1988, p3
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-19-mn-5887-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-20-mn-5928-story.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Jun-2018 12:46 | TB | Added |
| 14-Jun-2018 12:46 | TB | Updated [Total occupants, ] |
| 08-Nov-2024 16:55 | SikFan | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
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