7 Marines From Camp Pendleton Killed In Chopper Crash Near Yuma
CAMP PENDLETON (CBS/AP) — Seven Marines from Camp Pendleton died when two military helicopters collided Wednesday night near Yuma, Ariz., CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
In a statement, the Marine Corps said the collision took place during "routine training operations" at around 10 p.m. ET Wednesday. Identities of the dead Marines have been withheld until their families are notified.
A Huey helicopter and a Cobra helicopter collided in "a remote portion" of a training range complex near Yuma, according to the statement.
The collision is under investigation.
Cpl. Steven Posy with Marine Corps Air Station Miramar told The Associated Press Thursday the weather "was pretty mild last night."
Several accidents have happened in the past year involving Marine Corps training in Southern California.
In September, a helicopter went down during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton and killed the two Marines onboard.
In August, two Marines were ejected from their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet as it plunged toward the Pacific Ocean. The two Marines spent four hours in the dark, chilly ocean before they were rescued. Both suffered broken but survived.
In July, a decorated Marine from western New York was killed during a training exercise when his UH-1Y helicopter went down in a remote section of Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.
Another Hornet sustained at least $1 million damage when its engine caught fire on March 30 aboard the USS John C. Stennis during a training exercise about 100 miles off the San Diego coast. Eight sailors, a Marine and two civilians were injured.
A decade ago, in February 2002, a helicopter crash in the Chocolate Mountains in eastern Imperial County, Calif., killed two Camp Pendleton Marines and injured two others. The UH-1N Huey was on a routine training mission in the Naval gunnery range.
The Cobra carries a crew of two, a pilot and gunner, and is considered the Marine Corps' main attack helicopter. The UH-1Y, which is replacing the aging version of the Huey utility helicopter first used during the Vietnam War, carries a crew of one or two pilots, a crew chief and other crew members, depending on the mission.
