An MH-60S Knight Hawk, attached to the Golden Falcons of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12, prepares to land on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) May 8, 2022. US Navy Photo
The Navy is holding an aviation safety standdown today following two crashes in California last week, including one that killed five Marines.
The standdown is so the service can “review risk-management practices and conduct training on threat and error-management processes,” according to a statement from Naval Air Forces.
The standdown applies to the Navy’s aviation squadrons that are not deployed, Naval Air Forces said.
“In order to maintain the readiness of our force, we must ensure the safety of our people remains one of our top priorities,” the statement reads.
“Deployed units will conduct the safety pause at the earliest possible opportunity,” it continues.
The standdown comes after a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey went down Wednesday in the southern California desert, killing the five Marines aboard. One day later, a Navy MH-60S Knight Hawk from the “Merlins” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 crashed during flight training in El Centro, Calif. The helicopter’s crew was safely rescued.
The Marine Corps on Friday identified the five Marines killed in the Osprey crash as part of the “Purple Foxes” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364, which is based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The Marines were pilots Capt. John Sax, 33, from Placer, Calif., and Capt. Nicholas Losapio, 31, from New Durham, N.H., crew chiefs Cpl. Seth Rasmuson, 21, from Johnson, Wyo.; Cpl. Nathan Carlson, 21, from Winnebago, Ill.; and Lance Cpl. Evan Strickland, 19, from Valencia, N.M., 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement.
The Marine Corps is investigating the crash.