File photo:An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter,assigned to the HSC-25 "Island Knights" takes off from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) during flight operations.AP
A U.Navy helicopter crashed Tuesday in the ocean off Southern California during a routine flight from an aircraft carrier, military officials said.
A search and rescue operation was launched after the MH-60S helicopter crashed around 4:30 p.m. about 60 nautical miles off San Diego, the Navy's US Pacific Fleet said on Twitter.
The crash happened while the aircraft was ``conducting routine flight operations,`` according to the Navy. It had been aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
``Search and rescue operations are ongoing with multiple Coast Guard and Navy air and surface assets,'' the tweet said.
No other details were immediately available.
The MH-60S is a versatile aircraft that typically carries a crew of four and is used in missions including combat support, humanitarian disaster relief and search and rescue.
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