CGC ROBERT WARD

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Search for crew of downed aircraft suspended

On May 11, 2023, the 'Robert Ward' and other assets of the US Coast Guard suspended the active search for three people after an aircraft emergency and a debris field were located approximately one mile southwest of San Clemente Island, in the morning of May 10. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Joint Harbor Operations Center in San Diego received the initial report of a downed aircraft at 7:53 a.m., from Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility (FACSFAC) San Diego, reporting an aircraft emergency aboard a Phoenix Air Learjet with three people on board. FACSFAC reported that the aircraft didn’t make it back to the San Clemente Island runway. Another Phoenix Air Learjet was in the area and immediately began searching for possible survivors; They located a debris field one mile southwest of San Clemente Island. A Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircraft and the USS San Diego diverted after hearing the emergency broadcast and began searching the area as well. A MH-60 Jayhawk from Coast Guard Sector San Diego and the 'Robert Ward' were launched and led the search. Additionally, a U.S. Air Force C-130, multiple U.S. Air Force land and surface assets from 68th Rescue Squadron, and a U.S. Navy MH-60 Romeo helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM-35) were launched and assisted in the search. The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched a combined 334 square miles in the vicinity of the downed Phoenix Air Learjet with negative results.