The search for five U.S. Army aviators who went missing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Aug. 15 during a night-time training operation has been called off.
“A decision to suspend searching without finding survivors is extremely difficult given the depth of its impact and I know I speak for the entire Coast Guard when I say our thoughts and prayers are with Army helicopter squadron and particularly with families and loved ones of those missing,” Rear Adm. Vincent B. Atkins, a Coast Guard commander, wrote in a statement released Monday.
The lost helicopter was part of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division combat aviation brigade based at Schofield Barracks on Oahu. The UH-60 Black Hawk’s aircrew was conducting a training exercise between Dillingham Airfield and Ka’ena Point when communications were lost.
The Coast Guard collaborated with the Navy, Army, and Hawaiian officials to search more than 72,575 square nautical miles off of Ka’ena Point before extending the mission west beyond Kauai and Ni’ihau, Atkins added.
“As we suspend the search we stand ready to support any future operations the Army conducts, and continue to provide any comfort we can for those suffering from this tragic loss,” he said.
