Debris From Missing Copter Found Off Coast

EUREKA, Calif. — Rescue crews found debris from a missing Coast Guard helicopter off the Northern California coast Monday, but no signs of the four people aboard.

Part of the tail section of the Coast Guard HH-65A Dolphin helicopter was discovered nine hours after it vanished Sunday night on a rescue mission.

The copter was en route to the aid of a Canadian sailing boat that ran into trouble at sea 40 miles off Cape Mendocino. The boat’s five crew members were eventually rescued by a Coast Guard cutter.

Among the missing copter crew were: Lt. Jeffrey F. Crane, 35, of Marshfield, Mass.; Lt. j.g. Charles W. Thigpen, 26, of Riverside; Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard L. Hughes, 33, of Black Canyon, Ariz.; and Petty Officer 3rd Class James C. Caines, 26, of Hinesville, Ga.

The last communication from the helicopter was at 11:25 p.m. Sunday.

“There was no indication of mechanical problems or of distress,” Coast Guard Cmdr. Brandt Weaver told the Eureka Times-Standard. He said visibility Sunday night was “generally good.”