Four U.S. Coast Guard crew members survived the crash of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter near Harbor Mountain in Sitka, Alaska, on Monday, escaping with non-serious injuries after the aircraft went down during a routine training flight, the Coast Guard confirmed.
Watch standers at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center in Juneau received the initial crash report at approximately 10:07 a.m. through the activation of the aircrew’s personal locator beacon (PLB), a GPS-enabled emergency signaling device, according to the Coast Guard.
Sitka Fire and Rescue arrived on scene at approximately 11:00 a.m. and transported all four crew members to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center.
“We are incredibly relieved our crew members survived with only minor injuries,” Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, said. “We are grateful for the swift response by Sitka Fire and Rescue who assisted us during this critical time.”
The Coast Guard said a formal investigation is underway. “The safety, well-being, and rescue of our crew members is our absolute, immediate priority,” the service stated. The cause of the crash is not yet known, and the condition of the aircraft has not been disclosed.
To maintain search and rescue (SAR) coverage across Southeast Alaska, the Coast Guard said Air Station Kodiak is repositioning an MH-60 and crew to Air Station Sitka.
Monday’s incident is the second crash involving an MH-60 Jayhawk from Air Station Sitka in under three years. In November 2023, an Air Station Sitka Jayhawk went down on Read Island during a SAR mission.
KCAW reported in November 2024 that a Coast Guard Major Incident Investigation determined pilot fixation and spatial disorientation in Southeast Alaska’s mountainous coastal terrain, not mechanical failure, caused that crash.
