WASHINGTON, March 12 (UPI) -- A Navy helicopter with three people aboard from the USS Hayler destroyer crashed early Tuesday off the coast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea on a routine flight check, according to U.S. European Command.
The Hayler lost contact with the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter around 10:30 a.m. local time when it was about 80 miles from land. The Hayler and the destroyer, USS Ross, were searching for the three crew members.
This is the third naval air crash in a week. A Navy search and rescue helicopter crashed off Georgia on Saturday, killing one sailor. On Thursday, a Marine Corps AV-8 Harrier from the Yuma, Ariz., air station crashed as it was attempting to land on a ship off the coast of San Diego. The pilot ejected safely.
On March 5, an Army Special Forces MH-47 crashed in the Philippines, killing all 10 on board.
