One killed, nine hurt in another Navy crash

Friday, May 29, 1998 | 10:24 a.m.

The helicopter crash Thursday in the Dixie Valley about 25 miles east of the U.S. Naval Air Station at Fallon was unrelated to the continuing search for wreckage in the fatal jet crash 20 miles south of the base on Wednesday, officials said.

Naval officials confirmed the death Thursday night and said the crew member, initially reported as missing, was located by firefighters and pronounced dead at the scene by a Navy flight surgeon. No identity was released pending notification of family members.

KOLO-TV in Reno, citing law enforcement officers in Churchill County, reported Thursday night that the missing crew member had died in the crash after a fire broke out in flight.

The Churchill County Sheriff's Office had no immediate comment, a spokeswoman said.

Ten people were on board the SH-60F Seahawk helicopter when it attempted to make an emergency landing on Navy property at Horse Creek about 2 p.m. on Thursday, Naval Air Station spokeswoman Anne McMillin said.

The nine crew members who exited after the hard landing were picked up by another helicopter, treated for minor injuries at Churchill County hospital and released Thursday, Ms. McMillin said.

The helicopter and crew are assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 7, based at Jacksonville, Fla. They were training with members of the Navy SEALs and attached to Carrier Air Wing 3 assigned to the USS Enterprise.

Also Thursday, the Navy identified the pilot killed in the jet training exercises the day before as Lt. Jonathan Bennett Nolan, 28, Syracuse, N.Y.

His FA-18, also based in Jacksonville, Fla., was flying with at least one other jet and two helicopters 20 miles south of Naval Air Station Fallon when it went down about 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The Navy was continuing to investigate both accidents.