4 Marines Killed in Pendelton Chopper Crash [Archive] - Marine Corps

MAJMike

01-23-04, 01:42 PM

[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 1/23/04 ]

4 killed in military helicopter crash at Camp Pendleton

The Associated Press

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A military helicopter crashed during a training mission at this base north of San Diego, killing all four people aboard, officials said.

The UH-1 Huey, a cargo-type helicopter, crashed about 7 p.m. Thursday, Maj. T.V. Johnson said.

Capt. Shawn Turner said Friday from Washington that there were no survivors when rescue crews arrived. Officials initially said one person had survived.

Turner said the identities of those killed were being withheld pending notification of their relatives.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

"This certainly is a tragedy, and we hope we are able to assist the families of the victims during this time," Johnson said.

The versatile Huey, which played a major role during the Vietnam War, is widely used in military service. It is most often used in evacuations and moving supplies and troops. Some models can carry up to 12 passengers along with the two crew members.

In March, three Camp Pendleton Marines died when their UH-1N Huey crashed in Iraq. Another Huey crash two years ago killed two Camp Pendleton Marines on a training exercise in the mountains near the California-Arizona border.

thedrifter

01-25-04, 11:06 AM

Pendleton helicopter crash victims served in Iraq

3 of 4 who died Thursday named
By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
11:56 p.m. January 23, 2004

CAMP PENDLETON – At least three of the four Marines who died from the crash of a UH-1N Huey helicopter during a training exercise on base Thursday night had served in Iraq, Marine officials said Friday.

Three were pronounced dead at the scene – the Talega Canyon area near the northwest corner of the base – about 7 p.m. The fourth Marine was taken to Mission Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he died more than two hours later. No one else was on board.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed Friday that the helicopter had hit utility wires, although it was unknown whether that caused the accident or the Huey struck the wires after encountering another problem. A lengthy investigation is planned.

Marine officials Friday night identified three of the Marines but withheld the name of the fourth until the family can be notified. The three identified:

Capt. Adam E. Miller, 29, of Midlothian, Ill. He was a pilot and served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He returned from Iraq in August.

First Lt. Michael S. Lawlor, 26, of Timonium, Md. He was also a pilot and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, coming home in September.

Cpl. Joshua D. Harris, 21, from New Port Richey, Fla. The helicopter crew chief also served in Iraq, returning in October.

It wasn't disclosed Friday whether the fourth victim had also served in Iraq.

"Having been a Marine for more than 18 years, I can tell you that it is just sad," said Marine spokesman Maj. T.V. Johnson. "It tugs at your heart."

The Marines were part of a detachment from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 attached to reinforced Marine Helicopter Squadron 166, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Johnson said the squadron would like to hold the memorial service, depending on the wishes of the families.

A base spokeswoman wouldn't confirm reports that the Marines flew into power lines, saying an investigation would determine the cause of the crash.

However, San Diego Gas & Electric spokesman David Johnson said he received a call about 9 p.m. Thursday saying that "there was some impact to a power line by a helicopter on Camp Pendleton."

"But whether there was an accident and then the helicopter hit the wires we don't know," he said.

Johnson, the Marine spokesman, said there was no information on any distress call from the helicopter.

Since 1990, at least 12 UH-1N Hueys assigned to Camp Pendleton have been involved in crashes that killed at least 31 Marines.

Harris' father, Charles, said Friday night from New Port Richey, Fla., "I was proud of him for being a Marine. But I'm greatly confused how he could go nine months to Kuwait and Iraq and on a training flight something happen."

Harris said his son returned to California in October from the Iraq War. He had been a crew chief on a helicopter during the conflict, scouting the scene and relaying information to the pilot.

He said his son had an easy temperament and made friends easily.

In the year or so during which his son had been in California, he had taken up snowboarding and motorcycle riding, his father said.

Harris graduated from Gulf High School in Florida, having lived in Jenkins, Ky., before moving to Florida as a teenager.

He also is survived by his mother, Debbie; a brother, Jacob; and a sister, Chasity, all of New Port Richey.

Miller's mother, Sandra, told The Associated Press that her family had been told about the crash Thursday night by Adam Miller's wife and then was officially informed by the military Friday morning.

Sandra Miller said being a helicopter pilot was her son's lifelong passion.

"From the time he was 4, it was his dream to be a pilot," she was quoted as saying. "He never wanted to do anything else."

Once he got home from Afghanistan and Iraq, "you kind of take a breath; he's out of harm's way," she said. "But you know that every time you get into a helicopter, anything can happen."

Miller said her grief is eased by knowing her son was doing what he most wanted.

"When he was 16, we had a conversation . . . and I knew what this meant to him and you accept that," she said. "(The family) has no regrets, none whatsoever. Adam had no regrets."

The Marine Corps' accident and crash rate has risen since 2001, when the service had 36 major mishaps. The number reached 37 in 2002 and then 47 last year, according to Naval Safety Center in Norfolk, Va.

The military categorizes major mishaps as those that result in death or in more than $1 million in damage. No figure was immediately available for how many Marine Corps deaths resulted from training accidents, whether in flight or on the ground.

For 2002, the Marines' major aviation accident rate per 100,000 flight hours was 3.89, more than double the Navy's 1.76, according to safety center data.

In the past two years, according to Marine Corps Safety Division records, UH-1N Hueys – which are grouped with HH-1N Iroquois – have the highest accident rate by far of any helicopter in the Corps.

Until the Huey crash Thursday, no Marines had died in aviation accidents since the beginning of the fiscal year in October.

Hueys have been a staple in the U.S. military for decades. The versatile helicopters saw action in Vietnam, where they were used for medical evacuation, command and control, air assault and resupply, among other duties.

Upgraded Hueys, which have a crew of four, are currently flown by roughly 40 countries. Another generation of the Huey, the UH-1Y, is being tested and is scheduled to enter the U.S. fleet in 2006.

Union-Tribune staff writers Jeanette Steele and David E. Graham contributed to this report.

Rick Rogers: (760) 476-8212; rick.rogers@uniontrib.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040123-9999-7m24huey.html

Sempers,

Roger
:marine: