MH-53 twice as crash-prone as other copters

MH-53 twice as crash-prone as other copters
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jan 21, 2008 10:22:04 EST

McALLEN, Texas — The type of Navy helicopter that crashed near Corpus Christi, killing three crew members and injuring one, is the Navy's most accident-prone helicopter.

Investigations to determine what caused the crash of the MH-53E Sea Dragon from Naval Air Station Corpus Christi could take months, but a check of the helicopter's accident history shows the aircraft has accidents more than twice as often as the Navy's other helicopters.

Since the Navy began flying Sea Dragons in 1984, 27 people, including Wednesday's victims, have died in crashes, according to the Naval Safety Center. Its rate of serious mishaps — more than $1 million in damage or a fatality per 100,000 flight hours — is 5.96. The average for Navy helicopters since 1980 is 2.26.

The Navy identified the dead crewmen late Friday as Lt. Joshua Gross, 30, of Alameda, Calif.; Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 2nd Class Alexander LeMarr, 25, of Parker, Colo.; and Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 2nd Class David Davison, 22, of Guthrie, Okla. The condition of the injured crew member was upgraded from critical to fair.


Article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_seahawk_080121/