Air Force HH-60Ws Rescue Five Navy Crew in California Mountains
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from Nellis AFB, Nevada, rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy sailors after their MH-60S Seahawk made a hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. Despite a circuit breaker issue and no standby status, maintenance crews devised a workaround within 30 minutes. The helicopters departed at 1 p.m., established contact by 3 p.m., and extracted all five uninjured sailors by 3:50 p.m., transferring them safely to China Lake.
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Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to rescue five Navy personnel after their MH-60S Seahawk made a hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The 88th received notification around 11:30 a.m. and initiated a recall, coordinating with the mishap unit. The 355th generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue without spare parts. The aircrews departed at 1 p.m., established radio contact and visually identified the sailors by 3 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned for easier extraction. All five sailors were successfully extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 88th received notification and initiated a recall, coordinating with the 355th to generate the aircraft. Despite a circuit breaker issue with no spare parts, the 355th provided a workaround and generated the two HH-60Ws within 30 minutes. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established radio contact and visually identified the sailors by 3 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned helicopters to reduce physical exertion. All five sailors were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Air Force Airmen Rescue 5 Navy Sailors in California with HH-60W Helicopters
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron executed a rapid rescue of five Navy personnel following an MH-60S Seahawk hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The 88th received notification around 11:30 a.m. and coordinated with the 355th to generate two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters. Despite a circuit breaker issue with no spare parts, the 355th devised a workaround and launched the aircraft within 30 minutes. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established contact with the sailors by 3 p.m., and extracted all five by 3:50 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned the helicopters to reduce physical exertion. The sailors were transferred to their unit at China Lake.
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Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 355th generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue without spare parts. The aircrews departed at 1 p.m., established contact by 3 p.m., and a pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the sailors, finding no injuries. All five were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The rescue followed a hard landing of a Navy MH-60S Seahawk during a high-altitude training flight in mountainous terrain. The 355th generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue without spare parts. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established contact with the downed crew by 3 p.m., and extracted all five sailors by 3:50 p.m. No injuries were reported. The operation was coordinated with the mishap unit, though the specific Navy unit was not identified.
Air Force airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California using HH-60W helicopters
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron executed a rapid rescue of five Navy personnel following a helicopter hard landing near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had experienced a mishap during a high-altitude training flight in mountainous terrain. The 88th received notification around 11:30 a.m. and immediately coordinated with the 355th to generate two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters. Despite a circuit breaker issue with no spare parts, the 355th devised a workaround and had the aircraft ready within 30 minutes. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established contact with the sailors by 3 p.m., and extracted all five by 3:50 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, finding no injuries. The sailors were transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 355th generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue without spare parts. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established contact by 3 p.m., and a pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the sailors, finding no injuries. All five were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 88th received notification and immediately initiated a recall, coordinating with the mishap unit. The 355th generated the two HH-60Ws within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue with a workaround. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established radio contact and visually identified the sailors by 3 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned helicopters to reduce physical exertion. All five sailors were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 88th received notification and immediately initiated a recall, coordinating with the mishap unit. The 355th generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue with a workaround due to lack of spare parts. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established radio contact and visually identified the sailors by 3 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned helicopters to reduce physical exertion. All five sailors were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 88th received notification and initiated a recall, coordinating with the mishap unit. The 355th fixed a circuit breaker issue without spare parts and generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes. Aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established radio contact by 3 p.m., and a pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the sailors, finding no injuries. All five sailors were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Air Force airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60W helicopters
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The rescue followed a Navy MH-60S Seahawk hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 355th generated the two helicopters within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue without spare parts. Aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established radio contact by 3 p.m., and extracted all five sailors by 3:50 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned helicopters to reduce physical exertion. The sailors were transferred to their unit's ramp at NAWS China Lake.
Airmen rescue 5 Navy sailors in California with HH-60Ws
On August 10, 2026, U.S. Air Force airmen from the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron rapidly deployed two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to rescue five Navy personnel near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. The Navy MH-60S Seahawk had made a hard landing in mountainous terrain during a high-altitude training flight around 11:30 a.m. The 88th received notification and immediately initiated a recall, coordinating with the mishap unit. The 355th generated the two HH-60Ws within 30 minutes, fixing a circuit breaker issue with a workaround due to lack of spare parts. The aircrews departed Nellis Air Force Base at 1 p.m., established radio contact and visually identified the sailors by 3 p.m. A pararescue team led by Capt. John Howe assessed the personnel, found no injuries, and repositioned helicopters to reduce physical exertion. All five sailors were extracted by 3:50 p.m. and transferred to their unit at NAWS China Lake.
Nellis HH-60Ws Rescue Navy Helicopter Crew in California Mountains
Search and rescue Airmen from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, flew two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters over 200 miles to rescue five Navy crew members whose MH-60S Seahawk made a hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California on August 10. The 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron and 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron responded rapidly after notification at 11:30 a.m., overcoming a critical circuit breaker issue that threatened to ground one aircraft. The HH-60Ws departed at 1 p.m., established contact with survivors by 3 p.m., and extracted all five sailors by 3:50 p.m. No injuries were reported. The article also provides background on the HH-60W program, including procurement numbers and planned modifications for executive airlift missions.
Nellis HH-60Ws Rescue Navy Helicopter Crew in California Mountains
Search and rescue Airmen from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, flew two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters over 200 miles to rescue five Navy crew members whose MH-60S Seahawk made a hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California on August 10. The 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron and 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron responded rapidly despite the aircraft not being on standby and a critical circuit breaker issue that required an improvised workaround. The HH-60Ws departed at 1 p.m., established contact with survivors by 3 p.m., and extracted all five sailors by 3:50 p.m., transferring them safely to China Lake. Leaders credited preexisting trust between maintenance and operations units for the successful rapid response. The article also provides background on the HH-60W program, including procurement numbers and planned modifications for executive airlift missions.
Air Force Rescues Navy Crew from Damaged Helicopter in California Desert
On August 10, 2026, the U.S. Air Force rescued five U.S. Navy crew members after their MH-60S Seahawk helicopter made a hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, during a high-altitude training mission. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received the report at 11:30 a.m., and the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron rapidly generated two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, within 30 minutes. The rescue crews departed at 1 p.m., established contact with the downed crew by 3 p.m., and extracted all five sailors by 3:50 p.m. The pararescue team, led by Capt. John Howe, confirmed no injuries. Lt. Col. Kenneth Wilkins, 88th TES commander, praised the rapid maintenance response and the team's efficient execution, noting the mission demonstrated lessons learned from previous events. The Navy personnel were transferred safely to their unit at China Lake before the Air Force helicopters returned to Nellis.