An U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crashed at around 10.40 p.m. Tuesday night at Read Island in Farragut Bay approximately 22 miles to the northwest of Petersburg. There were four people on the crew and they all made it out alive.
Two of the victims were severely injured during the crash. Two others suffered only minor injuries.
Crew members of the destroyed Jayhawk helicopter was heading to Air Station Sitka to assist the Lydia Marie commercial crabbing vessel, that was undergoing a water take-off close to Farragut Bay.
After the crash of the helicopter, U.S. Coast Guard cutters Elderberry and Douglas Denman rushed to the flooded vessel. When they made their initial response members of the Lydia Marie had contained the flood to a manageable level.
A variety of agencies such as Petersburg Search and Rescue and EMS and EMS, came together to help the helicopter that crashed. Air Station Sitka provided another helicopter to transport all four crew members for treatment at Petersburg Medical Center. Then, they were transferred to Seattle to receive a higher standard of medical care.
District 17 spokesperson Petty Officer First Class Shannon Kearney says that the Coast Guard doesn’t have any preliminary information regarding the cause of the crash.
“We are preparing to begin an entire investigation,” she said. “Any information that isthat we gather from the investigation will provide.”
Petersburg Search and Rescue volunteers were able to report strong winds and snowfall throughout the region. As per the National Weather Service, there was less visibility throughout the area due to snow and rain storms and wind speeds climbed as high as 45 miles per hour.
