3 Killed In Coast Guard Helicopter Crash Off Washington Coast

Three of four crewmembers who were aboard a Coast Guard helicopter that crashed Wednesday morning are dead.

The chopper crashed near James Island, off the Washington coast.

The announcement was made by a Seattle Coast Guard spokesman from District 13 at an afternoon news conference.

With a wavering voice he said they are currently in the recovery phase and once completed, the aircraft will be salvaged from the water.

One crewmember on board the chopper was quickly rescued and taken to a hospital, the Coast Guard said.

That crewmember was in satisfactory condition Wednesday evening at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a Harborview representative told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

She said he has a dislocated shoulder and a broken collar bone.

WATCH IT: Witnesses Describe Chopper Crash WATCH IT: Coast Guard Begins Investigation UNCUT: Coast Guard News Conference UNCUT: First Video From Crash Scene SLIDESHOW: Wreckage Seen From Chopper 7 UNCUT: Power Lines Down Near Crash Scene UNCUT: Crash Survivor Arrives At Harborview UNCUT: Live Report From Crash Scene

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Gary Horcher saw the scene from Chopper 7.

"There (are) many pieces of this helicopter submerged in the water," said Horcher. "You can see the blade from the helicopter in one spot, the wheels on another spot, part of the fuselage in another spot." UNCUT: Live Report From Crash Scene

"It looks dreadful from the air," he said via phone from Quillayute Airport during live coverage on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News at noon.

SLIDESHOW: Wreckage Seen From Chopper 7

The MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crashed near the island after clipping a marked power line that extends from the island to LaPush, according to the Peninsula Daily News. LaPush is about 100 miles west of Seattle.

Residents of the nearby Quileute Nation rushed to help, pulling some of the crash victims from the water.

The helicopter was departing from a Coast Guard station in Astoria, Ore., and was en route to Sitka, Alaska. The aircraft had stopped in Astoria for routine maintenance and fueling before heading to Sitka, the Coast Guard said.

Helicopter crash map - from KIRO graphics /2010/0707/24171455.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_640X366.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_157X90.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_240X137.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_180X103.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_300X172.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_80X46.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_120X69.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_200X114.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_60X34.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_320X183.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_90X51.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_400X229.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_40X23.jpg /2010/0707/24171455_480X274.jpg

The Coast Guard lost contact with the helicopter at 9:32 a.m., said officials at the Coast Guard's 13th District headquarters in Seattle.

The Coast Guard deployed a MH 65 dolphin and a MH 60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and response crews to search for the missing crew members.

forkswa.com Web cam shot of James Island A Webcam shot of James Island shows a Coast Guard boat just offshore. /2010/0707/24171408.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_640X480.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_120X90.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_240X180.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_180X135.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_300X225.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_80X60.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_200X150.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_60X45.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_320X240.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_90X68.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_400X300.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_40X30.jpg /2010/0707/24171408_480X360.jpg

The U.S. Navy, the National Parks Service and multiple other agencies sent emergency crews to the scene, the Coast Guard said.

A Web camera from forkswa.com showed a Coast Guard boat just off shore.

The crew is based in Sitka, a representative of the Coast Guard in Port Angeles told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.