SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps are searching for survivors from two military aircraft that collided 15 miles east of San Clemente Island, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009.
A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft, from Air Station Sacramento, was engaged in a search and rescue mission when it collided with an AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter, from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, conducting a training mission.
The Navy reported to the Coast Guard that they observed what appeared to be a mid-air collision.
Coast Guard crews as well as the Navy have been searching through the night. Visibility in the vicinity of the search area is unlimited allowing for ideal search conditions.
The Coast Guard assets involved in the search are; two MH-60J Jayhawk helicopters and the Cutters Edisto and Petrel, from San Diego, along the Cutter Blackfin which is homeported in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Coast Guard is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Efforts are focused on the search for survivors but are also collecting debris to support the investigation.
Dec 11, 2009
Coast Guard releases findings of investigation into fatal 2008 rescue helicopter crashfrom Coast Guard News by cgnews
HONOLULU — The U.S. Coast Guard released the results of its investigation here today into the loss of an HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point approximately five miles south of Honolulu International Airport Sept. 4, 2008.
All four Coast Guard air crewmembers aboard ‘Coast Guard 6505,’ Capt. Thomas Nelson, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Wischmeier, Petty Officer First Class David Skimin, and Petty Officer First Class Joshua Nichols, perished in the accident.
“I have been privileged to come to know the richness and depth of the lives of these four beloved Guardians, mostly through stories related by their families and fellow airmen,” said Rear Adm. Manson Brown, Commander of the 14th Coast Guard District. “For those closest to this tragedy, the names of the fallen are etched in our hearts forever.”
‘Coast Guard 6505’ was conducting rescue basket hoist training with Motor Life Boat (MLB) 47317 from Coast Guard Station Honolulu when the accident occurred. During the fifth hoist evolution at approximately 8:11 p.m. HST while beginning to recover the basket, the hoist cable went slack due to the motion of the helicopter in a hover and the small boat in the waves, and air crew cable adjustments in response to these motions. The extra slack in the cable formed a loop that snagged on a dewatering standpipe just as the stern of MLB 47317 fell in the trough of a wave causing the cable to part and inducing an unusual attitude recovery (extreme yaw to the left) causing damage to the helicopter’s rotor system and other damage when the rotor blades made contact with the helicopter’s hoist boom assembly.
The aircraft transitioned to forward flight, gained altitude and commenced a slow climb northwest toward the south shore of Oahu, Hawaii. ‘Coast Guard 6505’ climbed to an altitude of about 500 feet and accelerated to about 50 mph while experiencing abnormal vibrations and issuing “Mayday” calls. The aircraft traveled about two miles when it experienced a catastrophic loss of airworthiness and rapidly fell into the Pacific Ocean (Lat 21-13’-37” N, Long 157-57’-34” W) at approximately 8:15 p.m. HST and sank in water about 1,300 feet deep.
“We do very dangerous work, often in harsh environments,” said Brown. “Our training procedures must appropriately challenge our crews to a degree necessary to maximize mission success for actual cases. Mariners rely on us to be there when they encounter the perils of the sea.”
Rescue basket hoist training involves a helicopter lowering a rescue basket to the deck of a Coast Guard boat and then hoisting the basket back to the right side door of the helicopter. This training is essential for pilots and crew to remain current in the processes and techniques required to safely make rescues under more arduous conditions.
The detailed results and recommendations from the investigation are issued to the public through the Commandant’s Final Action Memo on the Administrative Investigation and through the Final Decision Letter on the Mishap Investigation. Both documents are available in the Coast Guard’s FOIA Reading Room at www.uscg.mil/foia/reading-room.asp or can be downloaded here.
Sure sorry to hear about the loss of 4 CG members in a training ex.
Wow how did it go from a CG c130 and a Marine super cobra mid air? to a single hh65 that had a hoist mishap? I have been to some of the original US life saving stations and It is amazing the chances they took 100 years ago rowing long boats out thru surf to rescue ships in huricane force winds and waves. This is the CG that I respected growing up. their main job was Life saving. I hope they learn from this terrible tragedy. so that the lives lost are not in vain.
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