29-year-old U.S. Navy pilot from Oakhurst among 5 sailors killed in helicopter crash
After nearly a week of searching for Lt. Bradley A. Foster and four other sailors, the U.S. Navy on Sunday declared them dead.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A 29-year-old from Oakhurst is one of the five Navy sailors declared dead after their helicopter crashed off the coast of southern California on Tuesday.
Lt. Bradley A. Foster was a pilot and one of the crew members aboard the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter that crashed off the coast of San Diego.
After nearly a week of searching for him and the other four missing sailors, the U.S. Navy on Sunday declared them dead, shifting the search for them to a recovery operation on Saturday.
The Navy also released the identities of the sailors. They were:
Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29, a pilot from Oakhurst, California
Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28, a pilot from Annandale, Virginia
Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class James P. Buriak, 31, from Salem, Virginia
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F. Burns, 31, from Severna Park, Maryland
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J. Tucker, 21, from St. Louis, Missouri
The helicopter, assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln, was conducting routine flight operations aboard the carrier when it crashed on Tuesday.
A sailor aboard the helicopter was rescued shortly after the crash, and three others who had been on the carrier's deck were found injured.
