Helicopter Vanishes On Rescue Mission

Nine hours after a Coast Guard helicopter vanished during a rescue mission, part of its tail section was found Monday in the Pacific Ocean. There was no sign of the four people on board.

The HH-65A Dolphin vanished Sunday night on the way to helping a Canadian sailing boat that ran into trouble at sea 40 miles off Cape Mendocino, about 200 miles north of San Francisco.

The boat’s five crew members were rescued by a Coast Guard cutter.

The last communication from the helicopter was at 11:25 p.m. Sunday as it was descending to help rescue the Canadians.