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1 Dead, 1 Missing In VA Navy Helicopter Accident

A Navy helicopter reportedly on a training mission went down off the coast of Virginia Wednesday. One person aboard died, and another is missing.
Posted at 2:58 PM, Jan 08, 2014

One person is now dead, another missing, and three hospitalized after a Navy helicopter went down off the coast of Virginia. 

In a tweet, the Navy wrote: "#USNavy confirms one fatality from MH-53E crash off coast of #Norfolk, VA. Search continues for 1 missing." (Via Twitter / @USNavy)

The helicopter reportedly went down in the Atlantic around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning — approximately 18 miles off the coast of Virginia. (Via CNN)

It was reportedly participating in a training mission when it made an emergency landing. (Via WTSP

Virginia's WAVY quotes an eyewitness saying: "I saw a big Navy helicopter land here and it landed really quick and fast. They took two guys in on the stretchers and immediately took back off and came back maybe five minutes later and had two more guys all on stretchers."

As USA Today reports, they were then taken to a local hospital.

The Navy initially confirmed the crash saying that the helicopter involved was a CH-53E but later determined it to be an MH-53E Sea Dragon, which, according to the Navy, usually carries two pilots and one to six aircrew men. (Via Twitter / @USNavy, U.S. Navy)

The crash comes less than 24 hours after a U.S. Air Force helicopter crashed off the eastern coast of England during a training mission. That crash killed four crew members. (Via NBC)

Stay with Newsy as more details become available.