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Tuesday, August 15, 2000

Airmens' rites are private
Salvage could start later on this week
By Deborah Martínez
Caller-Times
Wreckage from the Navy helicopter that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico Aug. 10 won't be salvaged until at least week's end.
   A service for the airmen killed in the crash will be private.
   The Navy is looking to hire a private company to haul the debris of the 21-ton MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter that crashed into the Gulf last week, about 3 miles off Padre Island National Seashore, killing four men.
   The contract hasn't been awarded yet, so it could be as early as the end of the week, or as late as the beginning of next week, before the debris could be pulled up from 55 feet of water, said Lt. J.G. Chuck Bell, public affairs officer for Mine Warfare Command.
   "It's just a matter of getting the vessel and then going down and doing the work," Bell said. "The Navy doesn't have the type of vessels necessary in the local area, so it would take quite a long time to bring in Navy resources."
   Personnel at Naval Station Ingleside, which has divers in their command, would most likely handle the salvage operation. Investigators from the Navy's investigation and safety boards are in Corpus Christi, taking preliminary statements from survivors. Officials said they don't know how long the investigation will take.
   But Navy policy doesn't allow any ongoing investigation to be discussed, Bell said. Whether Tropical Storm Beryl may affect the salvage operation isn't clear yet. The Navy hadn't considered the storm Monday, Bell said.
   A private memorial service for the victims, who were all members of Helicopter Mine Counter-_measures Squadron 15 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, will be held on base Thursday. The HM-15 Blackhawks and the crewmen's families have requested that the service be closed.
   Pilot Lt. Shawn O. Jacobs, co-pilot Lt. Edward R. Fassnacht, Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Paschal and Petty Officer 2nd Class David E. Rutherford died in the accident, which occurred about 30 minutes into a routine training mission.
   Someone from the crew had radioed a mechanical problem that was pushing the crew to make a precautionary landing on Malaquite Beach. Not even 15 minutes later a helicopter flying nearby spotted the wreckage in the water. Jacobs and Paschal were found about five hours later.
   Fassnacht and Rutherford were found on the Gulf floor the following afternoon, near the chopper's fuselage, tail wing, engine and fuel tank, Navy officials said.
   The final two crewmen, Petty Officer Third Class Jeremy J. Yaklin and Airman Adan Shawn R. Palyo are in stable condition at Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial. They were found floating in life jackets soon after the crash and have both been released from the intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said.
   A fatal accident in 1996 that involved a CH-53E Super Stallion, from which the military's Sea Dragon is modeled, grounded all "E" models at that time. A faulty bearing was blamed for that crash.
   Unless the investigation into the crash indicates that there is a problem with the "E" fleet, there are no plans to ground the helicopters now, Pentagon officials said. The Blackhawk squadron was back in the air Monday.



Staff writer Deborah Martínez can be reached at 886-3618 or by e-mail at _martinezd@caller.com

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