The U.S. Navy has recovered the wreckage of an Airlift Northwest medical helicopter that crashed in Browns Bay Sept. 29.
However, the bodies of two of the three crew members who died in the crash were not found, Edmonds Police Department spokesman Jeff Jones said.
The wreckage of the Arlington-based helicopter was located Friday night by the USS Battlepoint, a 186-foot ship based in Keyport that is normally used for launching, tracking and retrieving test torpedoes. The National Transportation Safety Board asked the Navy to help search for the downed helicopter on Friday.
The Battlepoint’s crew located the wreckage about two miles off Browns Point in 513 feet of water. The crew used a remote-controlled robot about the size of a minivan to bring pieces of the wreckage to the surface, Jones said.
The crew was still bringing up the wreckage Saturday night.
Jones said investigators might be able to find out what went wrong by examining pieces of the helicopter.
“If it were determined to be something on the helicopter, hopefully design changes on the aircraft can prevent future crashes,” Jones said.
Medical helicopter pilot Steve Smith of Whidbey Island and Seattle flight nurses Erin Reed and Los Suzuki died in the crash. Only Reed’s body has been found.
More than 1,000 mourners – including firefighters, paramedics and nurses from around Puget Sound – gathered inside a hangar at Boeing Field in Seattle on Thursday to pay their respects to the three victims. They were described as selfless, dedicated workers.
The body of Reed, 48, was recovered the day after the crash. The bodies of Smith, 59, and Suzuki, 47, remain missing.
“We hope the bodies of the other two crew members will be located,” Jones said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-2426 or spesznecker@ heraldnet.com.
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