4 injured in Navy helicopter 'hard landing': Crash reported at North Island Naval Air Station
Service members taken to area hospitals
Posted: 12/13/2012
Last Updated:
158 days ago
CORONADO, Calif. - Four crew members were injured after the Navy helicopter they were in made a hard landing at North Island Naval Air Station in Coronado, according to military officials.
The crew from HSM-75 declared an in-flight emergency Wednesday night and landed at the base at about 11 p.m., military officials said.
"The four were taken to two local hospitals and are listed in stable condition," said Lt. Aaron Kakiel, a public affairs officer for Naval Air Forces, Pacific.
Officials said in a release that the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was taking part in routine training at the station in San Diego County prior to the incident.
Officials said two of the crew members were taken to UC San Diego Medical Center and the other two were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital.
With any military aircraft incident, a mishap board will be created to examine every detail of the accident.
"They will be looking at maintenance logs, training of the crew, the mission brief, every aspect of the flight that day," said Jim Kidrick, director of the Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park and a former Naval aviator.
That investigation is done confidentially, according to Kidrick, so that all parties involved are encouraged to be honest about what happened.
The goal is to ensure the safety of other air crews.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.