Helicopter debris discovered by Coast Guard in Albemarle Sound search

MANTEO, N.C. (WITN) - The Coast Guard said it has found debris in its search for a helicopter that never arrived at an Outer Banks airport.

We’re told that around 10:46 a.m., a good Samaritan recovered a backpack with personal belongings inside around 3.5 miles south of the mouth of the Alligator River.

At 11:27 a.m. is when the Coast Guard said its MH-60 Jayhawk discovered the helicopter debris around 9 miles north of the Alligator River Bridge in the Albemarle Sound.

Officials provided new details about the crew saying that the two men left the Mecklenburg Brunswick Regional Airport on Monday and planned to land at the Dare County Regional Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash. Earlier the FAA said the body of the pilot had been found in the wreckage, but the Coast Guard says it continues an active search for the two men and the wreckage of the helicopter.

Coast Guard crews are searching for a helicopter that never arrived at an Outer Banks airport.

Petty Officer Steve Lehman said that the Coast Guard was contacted by a person who lost communication with two friends on a small helicopter around 6:40 p.m. Monday.

The two were flying from Virginia to the Dare County Regional Airport.

Search efforts, which have included a C-130 and a Jayhawk helicopter, have been ongoing in the Alligator River.

We’re told the state Marine Patrol and Wildlife Resources Commission is assisting in the search.

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