National

The Navy recovers the remains of 5 sailors off the coast of San Diego

By Vanessa Romo

Published October 12, 2021 at 2:03 PM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

The remains of five people and the wreckage of a U.S. Navy helicopter that crashed in the Pacific Ocean off California have been recovered, the Navy said in a statement on Tuesday. An MH-60S helicopter, similar the one pictured, and five crew members were recovered from a depth of about 5,300 feet below the surface of the ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday.

The U.S. Navy has recovered the remains of five crew members among the wreckage of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter that crashed off the coast of San Diego during routine operations in August.

Navy officials pulled the bodies and the mangled helicopter from a depth of about 5,300 feet approximately 60 miles off the coast on Friday, according to a statement on Tuesday. The remains were transferred to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for identification over the weekend.

Officials previously explained that the aircraft from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 was operating on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Aug. 31, before it crashed into the sea.

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The five sailors killed aboard the aircraft include Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29; Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28; Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31; Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21.

One crew member was recovered after the crash and five others were injured while on deck.

The Navy's investigation into the incident is ongoing.