USAF helicopters rescue five Navy crew after Seahawk hard landing near China Lake

Five US Navy personnel were rescued unharmed on August 10, 2026, after their MH-60S Seahawk helicopter made a hard landing in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, during a high-altitude training flight.

The US Air Force's 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at around 11:30 local time. The squadron recalled crews and asked its maintenance unit to prepare two HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters, which were ready to fly in under half an hour despite one aircraft facing a recurring circuit breaker problem. Maintainers found a workaround involving a faulty warning reset button, allowing the aircraft to depart on schedule.

The two helicopters left Nellis at 13:00 and made radio contact with the stranded Navy crew, spotting them visually by 15:00. A pararescue team reached the group on the ground and confirmed nobody was hurt. Rather than have the Navy personnel hike out, the rescue team had the helicopters move to a closer landing zone.

All five were picked up and returned to their squadron's ramp at China Lake by 15:50, after which the rescue helicopters flew back to Nellis.

The HH-60W is a rescue variant developed from the Black Hawk helicopter family, according to the Air Force account of the operation.