Copter Crashes in Remote Area; 2 Marines Die

Two Marines were killed Friday afternoon when a helicopter crashed in a remote mountainous area of the Cleveland National Forest on a training mission, a Marine Corps spokesman said.

The two-seat AH-1T Cobra attack copter crashed in the rugged San Juan Hot Springs area, starting a fire, said Lt. Col. Jerry Shelton of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

The aircraft, part of the wing’s 39th Marine Air Group based in Camp Pendleton, was on its second “local routine training mission” of the day when it crashed, Shelton said.

The names of the two victims were withheld pending notification of relatives.

Detected by Smoke

The crash was discovered after the Orange County Fire Department received a phone call reporting smoke in the area and notified the U.S. Forest Service at about 3:15 p.m.

There are no roads in the immediate area, about three miles off the Ortega Highway in the canyons east of San Juan Capistrano near Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park. U.S. Forest Service crews were transported by helicopter to the site and they discovered the Marine aircraft when they arrived.

Friday night, one body had been retrieved from the crash site. The other body was to be left at the site overnight and was scheduled to be removed this morning, Shelton said.

The fire was put out several hours later and an undisclosed amount of acreage was scorched, officials said.