USS PREBLE (DDG 88), Helicopter Crash, 1 September 2004

Preble Sailors Hurt

Three sailors from the destroyer Preble were injured, one seriously, when the tail rotor of a UH-3H Sea King helicopter came apart after hitting the helicopter control tower while landing aboard the ship in the northern Persian Gulf during a routine passenger transfer/logistics run Sept 1 2004.

The sailors were injured by flying debris after the collision. The helicopter was carrying 10 passengers. One DoN civilian aboard the helicopter was seriously injured.

The seriously injured sailor was hoisted off Preble by a helicopter from the assault ship Belleau Wood and taken to the Camp Arifjan medical facility in Kuwait, then was scheduled to be transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The two other sailors were treated aboard Preble.

Despite the damage, the Sea King made a hard landing on Preble’s helicopter pad. Preble pulled into Bahrain on Sept. 2 to offload the helicopter, said Cmdr. James Graybeal, a 5th Fleet spokesman. An investigation will determine the cause of the mishap, Graybeal said.