The Navy is continuing its investigation into the crash of a SH60 Seahawk helicopter from the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Navy spokesman said Monday.
Ten people were aboard the Seahawk when it crashed on a trip to pick up supplies for the tsunami relief effort at the Banda Aceh airfield in Indonesia.
Although initial reports said six of the military personnel aboard had been seriously injured, Lincoln spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Daniels told the Associated Press only two aboard were hurt, one with a broken ankle and another with a dislocated hip.
Daniels also said the crash, which occurred at 7:20 a.m. (Indonesia time) Monday, may have been caused by a mechanical failure.
The helicopter landed hard in a rice paddy approximately 500 yards from the airport, according to the Associated Press.
The official investigation is ongoing, and there’s not a pressing timeline to meet to finish the review.
“They’ll take as much time as they need to make sure they do a thorough investigation,” said Lt. David Benham, spokesman for the Navy’s Pacific Fleet.
The sailors injured in the crash were taken back to the Lincoln for medical care. Helicopter flights from the Lincoln were shut down briefly after the incident, Benham said.
“For safety purposes, that’s very, very typical. If something occurs, err on the side of caution,” he said.
The Lincoln left its homeport in Everett in October, along with the destroyer USS Shoup, for a four-month deployment.
The Nimitz-class carrier was in port in Hong Kong when the Lincoln and the ships in its strike group were ordered to the Indian Ocean to help with the humanitarian aid effort that was launched after a Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami devastated countries surrounding Indian Ocean.
Two helicopter squadrons deployed with the Lincoln, the “Golden Falcons” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 2, and the “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) 47. Both squadrons are based at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The Navy has not said which squadron the crashed helicopter was assigned to, although French press reports have said the aircraft was from Helicopter Squadron 2.
The Lincoln’s Seahawk helicopters have been the backbone of its tsunami relief efforts. The aircraft have been used to bring in supplies, including food and fresh water, and have ferried medical teams throughout Indonesia. The Seahawks have already flown 243 missions during the relief effort, Benham said.
Navy families were relieved that no one was killed in the crash. The Lincoln made it home from its last deployment for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, one that stretched 290 days, with no casualties.
Carmen Jacobson of Miami, Fla., received an e-mail from her son, Petty Officer 2nd Class George Laucirica, after the crash Monday.
Laucirica is an aviation structural mechanic on the Lincoln, and was on the helicopter that landed at Banda Aceh just before the Seahawk went down. The sailor sent his mother a note to say he was OK.
“In spite of my concerns, I feel that he is blessed and privileged to be there … It’s almost like he and his crewmates were destined to be part of that mission of mercy,” Jacobson said in an e-mail to the Herald.
“For him to be on the Lincoln at this time and in that area … In one of his e-mails he sent, he mentioned how eager he was to get off the ship and help those poor people in any way he could,” Jacobson added.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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