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Five U.S. Navy crew members were killed Monday night when their helicopter clipped power lines and crashed 10 miles west of Austin during a routine training mission. The crash occurred at 9:25 p.m. on the Naval Air Station Fallon's training range, said Zip Upham, public affairs officer at NAS Fallon.
"After cutting the electricity transmission lines, the helicopter suffered damage and hit the ground," Upham said.
Other military aircraft involved in the Combat Search and Rescue training mission were able to locate the crash site at 9:40 p.m., and a rescue helicopter from NAS Fallon arrived on the scene at approximately 10:15 p.m.
"After cutting the electricity transmission lines, the helicopter suffered damage and hit the ground," Upham said.
Other military aircraft involved in the Combat Search and Rescue training mission were able to locate the crash site at 9:40 p.m., and a rescue helicopter from NAS Fallon arrived on the scene at approximately 10:15 p.m.
"This kind of a situation is a tragedy," Upham said Tuesday morning.
Faye Andersen, spokeswoman for Sierra Pacific Power Co., said the aircraft severed a static wire atop a 100-foot tall transmission line. The wire acts as a lightning rod, attracting lightning strikes to prevent direct hits and damage to the high-voltage line, she said.
No disruption of power was reported.
The aircraft landed in an unpopulated area of Lander County owned by the Bureau of Land Management.
Faye Andersen, spokeswoman for Sierra Pacific Power Co., said the aircraft severed a static wire atop a 100-foot tall transmission line. The wire acts as a lightning rod, attracting lightning strikes to prevent direct hits and damage to the high-voltage line, she said.
No disruption of power was reported.
The aircraft landed in an unpopulated area of Lander County owned by the Bureau of Land Management.
"The military set up a safety perimeter with the NAS Fallon security team to control the site and allow for the proper unfolding of the investigation," Upham said.
The first priority will be recovery of the personnel, Upham said, followed by an investigation of environmental and human factors leading to the crash.
"The investigation will be extensive and very thorough in order to provide lessons learned," Upham said.
The first priority will be recovery of the personnel, Upham said, followed by an investigation of environmental and human factors leading to the crash.
"The investigation will be extensive and very thorough in order to provide lessons learned," Upham said.
The aircraft was an SH-60F helicopter assigned to the Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Seven (HS-7), the "Dusty Dogs," based in Jacksonville, Fla.
Upham said all 1,800 personnel attached to Carrier Air Wing Three, which deploys on the USS Harry S. Truman, are participating in training at NAS Fallon. Training was suspended Tuesday after the crash. The HS-7 squadron is on a month-long training detachment at NAS Fallon that began April 30.
"This group is the majority, if not exclusively, the folks here for training right now," Upham said. "The focus for the air wing is on taking care of their shipmates, and pausing to make sure they focus on taking care of each other at this point."
Names of the deceased aircrew are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Upham said all 1,800 personnel attached to Carrier Air Wing Three, which deploys on the USS Harry S. Truman, are participating in training at NAS Fallon. Training was suspended Tuesday after the crash. The HS-7 squadron is on a month-long training detachment at NAS Fallon that began April 30.
"This group is the majority, if not exclusively, the folks here for training right now," Upham said. "The focus for the air wing is on taking care of their shipmates, and pausing to make sure they focus on taking care of each other at this point."
Names of the deceased aircrew are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Upham, who's served as base spokesman since 2001, said the death toll of Monday night's crash was the worst in recent memory at NAS Fallon.
Over the past six years, Upham recalled four jet and two helicopter crashes, resulting in one death.
Monday's accident is "significantly more tragic than mishaps we've had in the recent past" because of the number of lives lost, he said.
Over the past six years, Upham recalled four jet and two helicopter crashes, resulting in one death.
Monday's accident is "significantly more tragic than mishaps we've had in the recent past" because of the number of lives lost, he said.
