A team of experts is working to salvage a Coast Guard helicopter that crashed on Sitka’s Harbor Mountain last month. The U.S. Coast Guard said in a press release that the effort is being led by the Downed Aircraft Recovery Team from the Alaska Army National Guard out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The group plans to assess the aircraft for its removal, recover the wreckage, and mitigate hazardous materials at the crash site.
The MH-60 Jayhawk from Air Station Sitka went down on June 22 during a training flight. The crash occurred at about 1,500 feet on the south side of Harbor Mountain. The four crew members involved in the crash were treated for minor injuries and released from Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center the same day.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by a team of Coast Guard members and civilian experts. They haven’t given a timeline on how long the investigation will take.
The “very hazardous” crash site remains closed by the U.S. Forest Service, and is currently under video surveillance.
Several trees were damaged in the crash, but there was no reported damage to the local trail or road system. Harbor Mountain Road remains open to pedestrian traffic, but is still closed to vehicles. The Coast Guard said they will encourage the reopening of the road once teams fully assess the site and determine no additional risks remain.
Crews from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak remain in Sitka to support operations in Southeast, with the goal of Sitka crews resuming their duties sometime this week.
