The Coast Guard said an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka crashed near Harbor Mountain with four people aboard. All four crew members were rescued and transported to a hospital. No deaths were reported. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Coast Guard Arctic District said rescue crews from Sitka Fire and Rescue arrived at the crash site at about 11 a.m. Four crew members were transported to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center for treatment. The Coast Guard has not released information about the severity of the injuries.
The helicopter was conducting a training flight at the time of the accident when watchstanders at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center received a report of the crash at approximately 10:07 a.m., according to the Coast Guard news release. Watchstanders are Coast Guard personnel who work around the clock in command or communication centers.
The statement added that “the cause of the incident is not yet known. A formal investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the event.”
Sitka is in a sparsely populated area near Harbor Mountain. The coastal town sits on Baranof Island. The surrounding Pacific Ocean currents limit extreme temperatures but deliver roughly 100 inches, or 254 centimeters, of rain every year.
No further information about the crew members was immediately available on Monday afternoon.
The Coast Guard’s MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter is powered by two engines and plays a central role in a wide range of missions, including high-stakes search-and-rescue efforts, maritime law enforcement, and rapid emergency response along America’s coastlines.
Air Station Sitka is the Coast Guard's primary search-and-rescue aviation unit for Southeast Alaska. Its area of responsibility stretches from Dixon Entrance near the Canadian border north into central Alaska and west into the Gulf of Alaska.
The station is responsible for search-and-rescue operations along roughly 12,000 miles of remote, rugged coastline, as well as inland rescue missions throughout Southeast Alaska.