Navy Helicopter Crashes in Gulf of Mexico

C O R P U S   C H R I S T I, Texas, Aug. 10 -- Two crew members were killed andtwo others were missing today after a Navy helicopter crashed inthe Gulf of Mexico during a training mission. Two others on boardwere recovering from injuries.

The survivors were found floating in a life raft about half anhour after the helicopter went down.

Jeremy J. Yaklin, 19, of Lapeer, Mich., and Adan Shawn R. Palyo,20, of Stratford, Conn., were hospitalized in stable condition inCorpus Christi, said Lt. j.g. Chuck Bell with Naval Air StationCorpus Christi.

Cdr. Bob Riehl, commanding officer of the HM-15 minecountermeasures squadron based at the station, identified one ofthose killed as Jeffrey S. Paschal, 40, of Phoenix. The identity ofthe second victim was being withheld until family members could benotified.

The crew was aboard an MH-53E helicopter, also known as a SeaDragon, that crashed about 11 a.m. some 17 miles offshore in about50 feet of water. Crew members reported mechanical problems beforethe craft went down, Bell said.

The Search ContinuesA search over a 28-square-mile area will continue through thenight for the remaining two crew members, Riehl said.

“It’s a big area. It’s a big ocean,” he said. “I always havehope.”

All the crew members were equipped with survival gear includingstrobes, radios and oxygen cylinders. “The survivability rate isvery good down here,” said David McBride, a Coast Guard spokesman.The water temperature is about 80 degrees.

The helicopter was practicing mine-sweeping as part of atraining mission when it reported a mechanical malfunction, Riehlsaid. It was attempting to return to shore when it crashed, hesaid.

Another helicopter taking part in the training mission spottedwreckage about 15 minutes after the distress call.

The MH-53E is manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. inStratford, Conn. In 1996, a similar model, the CH-53E SuperStallion, crashed, killing four Sikorsky employees in Stratford.The Navy temporarily halted flights of all “E” models, includingthe Super Stallion and the Sea Dragon. A faulty bearing was blamedfor the 1996 crash.