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Helicopter ditching at sea
A U.S. Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea at 3:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, July 1, with three of its four crew members recovered in stable condition and one crew member missing.
“conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea”
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet said the crew “conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea,” and added that “there is no sign that hostile action caused the incident,” while the cause remained under investigation.
The Hill said the helicopter made an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday morning and that one of the four aircrewmen is missing, while noting that “no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action.”
Stars and Stripes reported the Navy was searching for the missing aircrewman after the emergency water landing, and said the cause of the incident was under investigation while the statement did not indicate hostile action.
WAVY identified the location as NORFOLK, Va., and said the helicopter assigned to Norfolk-based USS George H.W. Bush had an emergency water landing at 3:30 a.m. while U.S. 5th Fleet said the cause was undetermined.
Search continues as talks run
While U.S. Navy assets in the region searched for the missing aircrewman, NewsNation said the cause of the emergency landing is under investigation and that there is no indication it was caused by hostile action.
NewsNation tied the incident to diplomacy, saying the U.S. and Iran are holding technical talks Wednesday in Doha, with discussions centered on frozen Iranian assets and the future of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
NewsNation reported that President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that “the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well,” and said there was no evidence the nuclear issue had yet been discussed in Doha.
Reuters was cited by NewsNation as saying negotiations have been ongoing since Tuesday night in Doha, with Iran holding meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators who relay messages to the U.S. side.
The Hill similarly described the Navy’s position that the emergency landing had “no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action,” while stating three of the four crew members were recovered and in stable condition aboard the carrier.
Carrier operations and regional risk
Stars and Stripes said Carrier Air Wing 7 operates from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, and identified the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 from Naval Station Norfolk as flying the MH-60S variant.
“There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action”
USNI News reported that one aircrewman is missing after the MH-60S made an emergency landing on Wednesday in the Arabian Sea, and said “There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action,” while the cause of the incident is under investigation.
CBS News said the search continues for the fourth crew member and repeated that there is “no indication” the helicopter was shot down by hostile action, while stating the incident happened at about 3:30 a.m. Eastern time.
USA Today said the USS George H.W. Bush was operating in the Arabian Sea region as U.S. forces remained present and vigilant, and noted that tensions have continued to grow despite a tenuous ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran.
TWZ placed the incident amid tense ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to end the war, and said this marked the second time in the past few weeks that a U.S. military helicopter aircrew had to be rescued after a crash in the region.
