5 crewmembers killed in Navy helicopter crash identified

3 years ago 367

SAN DIEGO — The Navy has identified the crewmembers killed aft a chopper crashed disconnected the seashore of San Diego during regular formation operations.

The crewmembers were declared dormant Saturday arsenic the Navy moved from hunt and rescue efforts to betterment operations.

The MH-60S chopper was conducting regular formation operations from the USS Abraham Lincoln erstwhile it crashed into the oversea astir 60 nautical miles disconnected the San Diego seashore astir 4:30 p.m. section clip connected Aug. 31. The Navy said the chopper was "operating connected platform earlier crashing into the sea."

One sailor was rescued from the craft aft the crash. Five different sailors aboard the vessel were injured and are "stable."

See the names of those killed below:

Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29, a aviator from Oakhurst, California

Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28, a aviator from Annandale, Virginia

Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31, from Salem, Virginia

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31, from Severna Park, Maryland

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21, from St. Louis, Missouri

"The modulation from hunt and rescue efforts to betterment operations comes aft much than 72 hours of coordinated rescue efforts encompassing 34 hunt and rescue flights, implicit 170 hours of formation time, with 5 hunt helicopters and changeless aboveground vas search," the Navy said implicit the weekend.

Commander Daniel J. Thomas posted the pursuing connection connected the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Eight Facebook page.

Today, I americium saddened to pass you the hunt for 5 of our Eightballers missing astatine oversea has officially ended. No connection of condolence tin genuinely capable the spread near by the nonaccomplishment of these Sailors and Officers. We person gone done a large woody unneurotic successful the past twelvemonth and done it each we person proven to beryllium not lone a tight-knit squadron, but a family. There is nary casual mode to process the nonaccomplishment of a household member, conscionable cognize that you bash not locomotion this way alone.

Please articulation maine successful lifting our affected families up successful thoughts, successful prayer, and with continued support. They are, and volition ever be, a portion of the Eightballer family. We are readying a memorial work to retrieve and grant our departed Eightballers and I volition proceed to supply updates to you arsenic we solidify these details. Additional counseling, religious, and aesculapian services are disposable to immoderate Sailor struggling.

Each and each subordinate of this squadron is integral to our team; idiosyncratic who is appreciated and esteemed arsenic a portion of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Eight. I’ve said this before, and I volition basal down it arsenic agelong arsenic I person the privilege of being the Skipper, each Sailor is simply a invaluable subordinate of the unit and we are each successful this together.
My thoughts and prayers are with each of you. If determination is thing I tin do, delight don’t hesitate to ask. Continue to combat for and instrumentality attraction of each other.

Wishing you continued strength,

Daniel J. Thomas
Commander, U.S. Navy
Commanding Officer

This communicative was primitively published by Zac Self connected Scripps presumption KGTV successful San Diego.

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