The Navy has confirmed that two crew members are dead and one is still missing after their MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter crashed Wednesday morning off the coast of Virginia.
According to a Navy news release, two crew members remain hospitalized at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital:
One is listed in serious condition and the other has been upgraded to fair condition.
Wavy.com reports the search for the missing crew member is ongoing, and involves the Navy and Coast Guard:
[Naval Air Forces Atlantic] said USS Jason Dunham, USNS Grasp, USS Mesa Verda, USNS Medgar Evers and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story manned with Navy divers were assisting in that search.
In addition, the Navy reports, Virginia Beach Fire Department boats located, via radar, the downed helicopter fuselage and tail section Wednesday night.
As Home Post reported earlier, the helicopter made an emergency water landing off the Virginia Beach coast near Fort Story around 10:45 a.m. local time Wednesday.
The crew of the MH-53E Sea Dragon is assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field.
