A Navy helicopter crash off Southern California that killed 5 crewmembers final yr was brought on by mechanical failure, not pilot error, the army introduced Tuesday.
A command investigation accomplished on April 18 discovered that a damper hose failed on the MH-60S Seahawk throughout flight, in all probability due to unsuspected harm that occurred throughout upkeep, the Navy mentioned.
The hose reduces vibrations from the principle rotor and the failure led to extreme vibrations that triggered the rotor to hit the deck because the plane landed on an plane provider on Aug. 31, 2021, off San Diego, the Navy mentioned.
The helicopter fell into the ocean and sank about 70 miles off San Diego. One crewmember was rescued and 5 had been declared lifeless after a search.
The victims of the accident had been recognized as Lieutenant Bradley Foster, 29; Lieutenant Paul Fridley, 28, Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class James Buriak, 31; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah Burns, 31; and Hospital Corpsman third Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21.
A workforce from the Naval Sea Methods Command's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving recovered the stays and wreckage on October 8 off the coast of San Diego, the Navy mentioned.
5 sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln had been injured.
"There isn't any proof that climate circumstances or pilot error had been causal or contributing elements to the mishap," the command investigation concluded.
The plane belonged to the Navy's Helicopter Sea Fight Squadron 8.