Sikorsky MH-60S crash near Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

A US Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter (167895, callsign INDIAN 617) assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6, operating from the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), was lost in the central Red Sea. The helicopter had landed and been chocked and chained on the flight deck. During a high-speed course change at over 30 knots, the ship began a series of rolls and water enveloped the helicopter. It broke free with both pilots still in the cockpit, its rotors struck the hangar, and it went overboard. LtCdr Landon L. Jones (35) of Lompoc, California, and CWO3 Jonathon S. Gibson (32) of Aurora, Oregon, were killed. Three other crew members were rescued in stable condition. The Navy stated the crash was not due to hostile activity. The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group provided search and rescue assistance.