Navy declares 5 missing sailors dead after helicopter crash

The U.S. Navy has declared five missing sailors dead after their helicopter crashed into the sea off of California on Tuesday.

The U.S. Navy has declared five sailors dead after they went missing following the crash of their helicopter off the coast of southern California on Tuesday. "U.S. 3rd Fleet has shifted from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations, Sept. 4," according to a statement. The helicopter, based on the USS Abraham Lincoln, was conducting routine flight operations aboard the carrier when it crashed into the sea approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego at 4:30 p.m. PDT on Tuesday. A sailor aboard the helicopter was rescued shortly after the crash and three others who had been on the carrier’s deck were found injured. But five soldiers remained unaccounted for.