Passengers, crew evacuated from crash site No serious injuries reported; 13 of the 17 aboard were treated at DMH
By ANTHONY GAYNOR, Staff Writer
All 17 people aboard a U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk that crashed in a remote area of Pocahontas County Thursday were successfully rescued from the aircraft. several injuries ranging from minor bruises to fractures were reported, but none are considered life-threatening. The passengers and crew of the helicopter had to contend with cold temperatures to wait for rescue.
“The temperatures were less than 20 degrees, but the crew was able to start fires to keep themselves warm. They put their extensive survival training to use while they waited to be evacuated,” Capt. Steve Schreiber, commodore, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic, said in a prepared statement from Naval Air Force Atlantic. “The passengers were all involved in a joint training exercise and were equipped to operate in the cold.”
West Virginia National Guard spokeswoman Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer said 12 of the passengers were evacuated Thursday night and early Friday morning. The last five passengers were taken off of Bald Knob near Cass at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Thirteen of the passengers were taken to Davis Memorial Hospital and the other four were transported to UVA Trauma Center in Charlottesville, Va.
“Our primary focus has been the safe evacuation of all the aircrew and passengers,” Schreiber said Friday. “As of this morning all personnel have either been evacuated from the crash site or are being evacuated.”
According to the Atlantic Naval Command, nine of the passengers taken to DMH were treated and released, three were admitted and the other was transported to the facility Friday afternoon.
DMH Chief Executive Officer mark Doak said in a prepared statement that the facility was prepared to receive those involved in the crash and is committed to protecting their privacy.
“We’re very proud of our staff’s outstanding response in emergency situations,” Doak commented.
Periodically DMH conducts disaster drills to prepare staff members for situations, such as the helicopter accident, Doak added.
“Our physicians and employees were ready to respond in a skilled and compassionate manner,” Doak said. “We truly have a great group of people who are more than willing to respond to emergencies in our communities. They deserve an A-plus for their efforts to provide quality health care under any and all circumstances.”
Passengers included 11 Navy personnel, four National Guard personnel, three of whom are from West Virginia, and two Marines.
Schreiber lauded the heroic efforts of the crew and passengers, as well as the rescuers first on the scene.
“I’d like to thank the West Virginia National Guard and the local responders for their heroic work. Their efforts were extraordinary and took place under the most difficult of situations. The rescuers had to traverse more than three miles from the nearest road through heavily wooded and mountainous terrain to reach the crash site,” Schreiber said. “A special thanks to the Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort for providing Snowcats that enabled first responders to reach the site.”
According to information from the West Virginia National Guard, rescue efforts have been assisted by several local agencies. West Virginia National Guard Emergency Operations personnel set up a Joint Operations Center as well as permitted the use of the runway at the National Radio and Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank.
NRAO staff housed and provided food for the rescue pilots and brought in additional personnel. Fire and rescue crews from the Slaty Fork, Bartow, Frank and Durbin volunteer fire departments helped clear roads so that rescuers could reach the sailors and soldiers.
Local Civil Air Patrol personnel were also involved in the efforts.
The Knighthawk was part of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Six (HSC- 26) based at Naval Station Norfolk. it was participating in Operation Southbound Trooper X at Ft. Pickett in Blackstone, Va. The helicopter left at 10:30 a.m. Thursday en route to Camp Dawson in Preston County and crashed around 2 p.m. later that day.
The mission is an annual exercise focused on the integration of joint U.S. and NATO tactics and procedures as well as inter-service coordination and capabilities.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.