U.S. Coast Guard officials today shifted to a recovery operation from a search and rescue mission for nine crew members in a disastrous crash off the San Diego coast.
Lt. Josh Nelson, the Coast Guard's public affairs officer in San Diego, said the search over 644 square miles ended shortly after 10:30 a.m. when a Jayhawk helicopter with a crew of four landed and ended 63 hours of search.
Family members were notified late Saturday night that the search and rescue effort would be suspended Sunday unless the Coast Guard helicopter returned with promising news.
"It's not likely that anyone would have survived," Nelson said.
Seven people were aboard a C-130 Hercules plane on a mission to find a lost boater near Catalina Island. Two others were inside a Marine Corps helicopter on a training mission out of Camp Pendleton. The two aircraft collided Thursday night.
Nelson said the Jayhawk helicopter wrapping up the search saw more debris from the crash early Sunday.
The debris drift was described as modest. "The last three days the drift has not been much of a factor," he said. "Winds are benign and the search area is pretty static."
Nelson said a multi-agency analysis board that includes the U.S. Coast Guard and Marine Corps will help guide the decision on the extent and duration of salvage efforts, Nelson said.
Among the issues for investigators is aircraft collision avoidance systems.
The Coast Guard C-130 does have a collision avoidance system, which detects another aircraft in the area provided the other craft's transponder is squawking, Nelson said.
Investigators also will be looking for the on-board recording system for details on the crash.
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