Harbor Police Officers Assist in Navy Helicopter Crash Search, Recovery

Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Contact: John Gilmore, (619) 686-7206, Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

Officers with the Port of San Diego's Harbor Police Department were among the first responders following the crash of a U.S. Navy helicopter in the ocean near the Coronado Islands late Tuesday night. Three bodies were recovered from the water and the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy searched throughout the day Wednesday for two others who were onboard at the time of the crash.

"We received the call about 11:56 p.m. Tuesday night of a Navy helicopter down about 14 miles southwest of San Diego near the Coronado Islands," said Lt. Bill Kellerman. "We sent two of our combination fire patrol boats and one of our fast boats to the scene."

The first of the vessels, the fast boat, arrived about 12:28 a.m. and the other boats arrived within 20 minutes. There were five police officers involved altogether.  A Customs and Border Patrol agent was also on board one of those vessels.

"When they arrived on scene, there was a debris field from the helicopter and a Coast Guard helicopter was able to spot for them," said Kellerman. "Two of our vessels each recovered a body and there was a third body recovered by either a Coast Guard or Navy vessel. The bodies were all transported to our fast boat."

Kellerman said there was no opportunity for any first aid or CPR attempts on the victims.

"It appeared it was a pretty violent impact," he said. "The bodies were all transported to the Coast Guard Air Station on Harbor Drive around 4 a.m. (Wednesday)."

The two other Harbor Police vessels continued the search alongside the Coast Guard, U.S. Navy and Mexican Navy until 5 a.m. Kellerman said.

The crash victims' remains were turned over the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. They were then taken to Balboa Navy Hospital with a Navy escort. Their identities have not been released.  Military officials said the downed HH-60 Seahawk helicopter, from Carrier Air Wing 11, had taken off from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as part of a training exercise before it went into the sea late Tuesday.

For the latest on the search, visit the U.S. Coast Guard San Diego's web site.

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