U.S. military suspends search for sailor missing after helicopter made emergency landing in Arabian Sea

The United States military said it has suspended its search for a missing sailor who was aboard a helicopter that went down in the Arabian Sea last week.

“The efforts concluded following an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” said the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in a statement Sunday morning. The suspension will officially take effect Sunday afternoon, the command said. 

The sailor went missing July 1, when the crew of a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued at sea following an “emergency water landing” in the Arabian Sea, the Navy said at the time. Three members of the helicopter’s four-person crew were rescued and returned to the USS George H.W. Bush, to which the helicopter was assigned.

Authorities do not plan to publicly release the missing sailor’s name until the individual’s next-of-kin have been notified, and at least 24 hours pass after the notification time, the Navy said. 

Military crews searched for more than 102 hours in hopes of locating the missing sailor, the command said. The operation covered more than 14,000 square miles and involved multiple aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, helicopter squadrons, anti-submarine squadrons and U.S. Air Force aircraft, according to the Navy. 

There was “no indication” that the helicopter was shot down by hostile action, according to the military.

The USS George H.W. Bush is one of two aircraft carriers that remains in the Middle East, having been there since late April. As of mid-May, when an update was last provided to Congress, the U.S. had lost 42 fixed-wing or rotor aircraft in Operation Epic Fury — the U.S. military campaign launched against Iran at the end of February. 

A U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down by an Iranian drone in early June, carrying two crew members who were both rescued.