Navy Copter Crash Kills 3 in Arabian Sea
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Two Navy pilots and a crewman from a squadron at North Island Naval Air Station were presumed dead Thursday after their helicopter crashed in the north Arabian Sea.
The helicopter, a Navy SH-2F, crashed just after dawn in calm weather during an attempt to land aboard the Barbey, a frigate from San Diego, a Navy spokesman said. An investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the crash.
Helicopters from the aircraft carrier Nimitz, which was 70 miles away, searched the area for survivors, but none were found.
Presumed dead are Lt. Cmdr. Gerald C. Pelz, 37, of Coronado; Lt. (j.g.) Gerald T. Ramsdell, of Ridgewood, N.J.; and William E. Martinie, 24, an aviation anti-submarine warfare operator third class, of Peoria, Ill.
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