A Navy crew supporting local officials in a search-and-rescue operation spent Friday night more than 11,000-feet above sea level after their helicopter crashed down in the California mountains.
The four-member crew - comprising a pilot, co-pilot and two crew members - were deployed to California's White Mountains to support Mono County search and rescue efforts for a missing hiker, when their helicopter came crashing down near Mount Hogue at around 5 p.m. Friday night.
They did not suffer from any injuries, the Navy announced in a press release, but had to wait for rescue after communicating their location back to the Naval Air Station Fallon, about 120 miles to the north.
A four-member Navy crew was rescued near Mt. Hogue, California on Saturday at around 5pm
A mission deployed later that evening failed to retrieve the crew members, but was able to drop them some supplies for the night.
The next day, the Navy tried once again to rescue the team, but its efforts were thwarted by the high-altitude, at which point the Navy sent another helicopter designed to withstand those heights, which dropped off a ground crew to find the survivors while it returned to base to refuel.
Finally, the Navy's third attempt, at around 2 p.m. Saturday, succeeded in
