Navy helicopter crashes in Virginia; crew rescued

A Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter crashed in the James River on Tuesday morning; the three crew members aboard were rescued, the Navy said in a statement.

The helo assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 2 was on a routine training mission, the Navy said in a release.

Two pilots and one aircrewman aboard were rescued by local fisherman and transferred to a Newport News Police Department boat, Naval Force Atlantic spokesman Mike Maus told Navy Times on Tuesday.

They were then brought ashore and transferred to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, he added.

Tuesday’s release said the aircrew’s “injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.” But Maus clarified that none of the three were injured in the mishap.

The “Fleet Angels” of HSC 2, a helicopter Fleet Replacement Squadron that trains pilots and aircrews for fleet missions, is based at Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field, Virginia. Maus could not confirm what led to the crash or what kind of maneuver the crew was carrying out at the time.

The mishap investigation will assess the cause of the crash.