Alabama Helicopter Crash: Two More Bodies Recovered

The U.S. Coast Guard Thursday recovered two more bodies of the crew members reported missing after a helicopter crashed off Alabama coast Tuesday night.

The accident occurred during a training mission by the MH-65C Dolphin, near Point Clear. The chopper reportedly went down a couple of miles from the shore in the Mobile Bay.

There were four people on board the helicopter and rescuers have now found a total of three bodies from the crash site.

One person was still missing, but the Coast Guard suspended the extensive search and was concentrating on salvage and recovery operations.

The body of Chief Petty Officer Fernando Jorge was recovered Tuesday night while the remains of Lt. J G Thomas Cameron and Lt. Cmdr. Dale Taylor were recovered Thursday. Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Knight of Thomasville, Ala., was missing, according to a Coast Guard statement.

We saturated 95% of Mobile Bay for nearly two days with both aircraft and boats to thoroughly cover the search area. Now, we must shift our focus to continuing salvage and recovery operations. As we continue to recover wreckage, we will look for the missing crewman, said Capt. Donald J. Rose, a Coast Guard commander, according to a CNN report.

The flight had originated from USCG Aviation Training Center in Mobile Regional Airport.

The cause of the accident was under investigation and no details were known yet, the Coast Guard said in a statement.