Nellis HH-60Ws rescue five Navy crew after hard landing in California mountains

Published Aug 18, 02:21 AM UTC

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.