The U.S. Navy has concluded a search lasting more than 102 hours for a crew member who went missing after an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. Search teams covered more than 14,000 square miles of open water, but the sailor was never found. Four other crew members were rescued and survived.
The helicopter, which was based aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, went down around 3:30 a.m. ET on July 1 in the U.S. Central Command area. Officials said there was no evidence that hostile action caused the emergency landing, while the exact cause remains under investigation. The missing sailor’s identity is being withheld until relatives are notified.
The Navy and Air Force carried out an extensive coordinated rescue operation, while three of the recovered sailors were reported to be in stable condition. The incident came amid ongoing tensions and military operations involving Iran, adding to the dangers faced by U.S. forces across the region.
The Navy said the search was conducted on a massive scale, but ultimately ended without locating the missing crew member. Investigators are now expected to focus on what caused the helicopter to make the emergency landing and what happened during the incident. The loss has left the sailor’s family and fellow service members waiting for answers.