The CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters were from the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing that’s based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay. The helicopters carrying 12 crew members collided off the Hawaiian island of Oahu during a nighttime training mission, and rescuers are searching a debris field in choppy waters Friday, military officials said.
Advertisement
Twelve crew members are unaccounted for following the crash.
Coast Guard search aircraft have spotted a debris field about 4 kilometres off the north shore of Oahu but no people, she said.
It is not yet known what caused the crash, or if any survivors have been found.
Even Honolulu lifeguards accustomed to big waves weren’t able to search for long with poor morning visibility. The search area spans about 20 miles along the shoreline.
The statement says they wait and pray for his return.
Witnesses said they heard a loud boom over the water and saw a flash in the sky. The wreckage was strewn over a two-mile area, Marine Capt. Timothy Irish said.
Irish says the Coast Guard has helicopters on scene and is coordinating with some Navy and Air Force aircraft.
And in March, 11 Marines and National Guardsmen died when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed off Florida’s coast, an accident blamed on pilot error in bad weather.
Advertisement
FILE – In this February 18, 2003 file photo, U.S. Marines and their Philippine counterparts jump from a US Marines CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter at Ternate in Cavite province south of Manila.
