Three crew members were rescued after the MH-60S of the USS George HW Bush was wrecked in the Arabian Sea, and search and rescue operations continue for four crew members.
MH-60S Seahawk helicopter deployed to USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) The aircraft carrier conducted an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea in the early hours of July 1, 2026. The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 a.m. EDT (7:30 UTC), according to a statement from Naval Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet.
Three of the four helicopter crew members were rescued safely and are in stable condition. USS Bush. The U.S. Navy said in a statement that U.S. Navy assets were conducting search and rescue operations for the remaining missing crew members.
At 3:30 a.m. ET on July 1, an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter crew from USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no evidence that this emergency was caused by hostile action. 3 out of 4 helicopter crew members…
— U.S. Navy Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) July 1, 2026
As of this writing, the search for the missing crew continues and the Navy has not issued an update.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation. But the Navy said there was “no indication that the emergency was caused by hostile action.”
The Air Force did not release additional details about the emergency conditions or the mission being flown at the time of the accident. The aircraft carrier has been one of the assets enforcing the naval blockade of Iran and continues to monitor the area to ensure the safety of transit vessels as commercial shipping operations in the Strait of Hormuz gradually resume.
USS George HW Bush (CVN 77) sails in the Arabian Sea. Two aircraft carriers continue to operate in the Middle East as U.S. forces remain on alert. pic.twitter.com/IhQLCoV1YT
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 23, 2026
The MH-60S Seahawk is the U.S. Navy’s primary combat support helicopter, used for a variety of missions including logistics, search and rescue, medical evacuation, special warfare support, vertical replenishment, and maritime security. When assigned to a carrier air wing (CVW), the Seahawk’s primary roles are as ‘airplane security’ and carrier strike group (CSG) logistics, providing search and rescue (SAR) support during carrier flight operations.
At the time of the incident, USS George HW Bush And the 7th Carrier Air Group was carrying out operations in the US 5th Fleet’s area of responsibility. CVW-7 is assigned Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 “Nightdippers”, a single MH-60S squadron.
This is a developing story so further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
