NORFOLK — The Navy says the sailor from a Naval Station Norfolk-based helicopter squadron killed in what initially was reported as a “flight line mishap” Monday, died in a suicide.
Cmdr. Dave Hecht with Naval Air Power, said NCIS has concluded their investigation and ruled the death a suicide.
Information on the circumstances surrounding the 3:30 p.m. incident was not immediately released.
Navy officials said they will not be releasing the sailor’s identity.
A 2015 Department of Defense Suicide Event Report found that across the services, there were 266 suicides in the Active Component for a rate of 20.2 per 100,000.
Across the services for that year, the report found that the suicide rates for the Active Component of the Air Force was 20.5 per 100,000, while for the Army the rate was 24.4 per 100,000.
The Marine Corps rate was 21.2 per 100,000.
In CY 2015 the suicide rate for the Navy was the lowest of all the services at 13.1 per 100,000, lower than the rate for both the Air Force and the Army, but indistinguishable from the Marine Corps rate, after adjustment for age and sex differences.
