Coast Guard Helicopter Crashes – One Missing

(CNN) — A multi-unit search is under way for a missing crew member after a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crashed off the coast of Washington state Wednesday, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Nathan Bradshaw.

The Coast Guard helicopter — an MH-60 Jayhawk — was carrying a 4-person crew from a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Astoria, Oregon, to Sitka, Alaska. It went down near James Island off La Push, Washington, Bradshaw said.

Three crew members were recovered with serious injuries, according to officials.  One of them was recovered by a good samaritan piloting a boat.

The search for the missing crew member includes three response boats and teams from U.S. Coast Guard stations based in Astoria, Port Angeles, Washington; and Quillayute, Washington.

The Coast Guard lost contact with the helicopter less than 10 minutes before the reported crash, according to a Coast Guard statement.