An MH-60S Seahawk similar to the one that crashed lands on a carrier. Navy file photo
The Navy said Tuesday that equipment failure caused the crash of of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter as it attempted to land on the USS Abraham Lincoln last August.
The helicopter fell into the sea shortly after touching down aboard the aircraft carrier, resulting in the deaths of five personnel aboard. One crewmember was rescued.
The San Diego-based carrier was operating about 60 nautical miles off the coast at the time of the accident.
The Navy said the official investigation determined that the crash was caused by failure of a damper hose, resulting in total loss of the main rotor damping which led to severe vibrations upon touchdown.
Initial reports said the aircraft lurched back and forth upon landing, its main rotor struck the flight deck, and the impact caused the helicopter to tumble into the sea
Killed in the crash were Lt. Bradley Foster, Lt. Paul Fridley, Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 1st Class James Buriak, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Sarah Burns, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Bailey Tucker.