US Navy helicopter disaster: Five sailors hurt and five others still missing after chopper crashed off San Diego

FIVE Navy sailors are still missing and five others were hurt after a helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Tuesday, officials said.

The MH-60S helicopter crashed around 60 nautical miles from the Southern California city during routine flight operations yesterday afternoon, sparking a desperate search and rescue mission.

One sailor was rescued late Tuesday and taken ashore in a stable condition.

The other five crew members aboard the doomed chopper remain missing as search and rescue efforts continue.

The Navy's US Pacific Fleet said in a tweeted statement that the helicopter had been aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is "homeported" in San Diego.

The 64-foot aircraft had been operating on deck as part of "routine flight operations" when it crashed into the sea sometime around 4.30pm.

Five additional Sailors aboard Abraham Lincoln suffered injuries in the incident and are in stable condition, the Navy said.

"Two of the five Abraham Lincoln Sailors were transported ashore for treatment, while three of the five Abraham Lincoln Sailors had minimal injuries and remain aboard the ship," a statement reads.

An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.

In the meantime, multiple Coast Guard as well as Navy "air and surface assets" are scouring the ocean in search of the five mission pilots and crew.

The crash came just days after Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt made history as the first woman to command the nuclear-powered flattop Abraham Lincoln. 

The MH-60S a versatile aircraft can transport a crew of four and is used in missions including combat support, humanitarian disaster relief and search and rescue.

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