**The U.S. Navy has ended a more than four-day search for a sailor missing after an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea, officials said.**
The search lasted more than 102 hours and covered about 14,000 square miles. Navy and Air Force units took part, using helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and several warships. The sailor was not found. The Navy withheld the name pending family notification, in line with service policy. Officials later identified the missing crew member as Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5.
The helicopter, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, entered the water at about 3:30 a.m. ET on July 1 while operating in the U.S. Central Command area. Three of the four people aboard were rescued and were reported in stable condition on the carrier. Officials have not given a full public account of their injuries.
U.S. 5th Fleet called the effort an extensive, coordinated search-and-rescue operation. Crews faced the usual difficulties of finding a person in open ocean: distance, weather, currents and limited visibility.
The Navy has said there is no indication that hostile action caused the landing. The cause remains under investigation. Investigators are expected to review the aircraft’s condition, maintenance records, crew actions, weather and sea state, communications and other operational details.
The MH-60S is a multipurpose Navy helicopter used for logistics, combat support, search and rescue and other missions. Establishing why the crew had to ditch will be central to the inquiry.
The incident occurred as U.S. forces continued operations in a region of heightened tension. Some reports counted the sailor among American deaths associated with the wider conflict involving Iran. The Navy has treated this case as a separate aviation mishap, not an attack, pending the investigation.
Ending the search does not end that inquiry. Officials said they will keep examining evidence from the aircraft, operational records and other sources to determine what went wrong and whether safety changes are needed.
For the family, the decision closed more than four days of searching a vast stretch of sea without a recovery. The surviving crew remained under medical care aboard the carrier. Officials said further information would be released when it can be made public.
