Four Marines Injured in Crash of Helicopter

Four crewmen were injured Wednesday when a Marine Corps CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter crashed in a rugged area of the Cleveland National Forest near Camp Pendleton while on a training flight, the Marine Corps announced.

The helicopter, based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, went down at 1:15 p.m. near Margarita Peak, Cpl. Kent Fletcher said.

“Initial reports state that the four crewmen received minor injuries,” Fletcher said. “They have been transported by helicopter to the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital for observation.”

The names of the injured were not released.

Fletcher said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The helicopter was attached to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161, a unit of the Third Marine Air Wing.

Marine Sgt. Deborah Bragatnini said there were few details on the crash. She speculated it would be at least a day before an estimate of the damage to the helicopter could be made.

Crew Was Rescued

She said the crew of the downed helicopter was rescued by another helicopter taking part in the training mission.

The crash site is about 12 miles northeast of the San Onofre Nuclear power plant.

CH-46 Sea Knights, workhorses of the Marine helicopter fleet, were troubled by a string of accidents last year that killed eight Marines and injured 22 others.

Two of those crashes, which killed seven CH-46 crew members, occurred at night while the pilots were wearing night vision goggles. The goggles, designed for use by ground troops, have been criticized by some pilots who say the they are ineffective for pilots.

In February, a pilot wearing night vision goggles flew into a cloud-shrouded ridge eight minutes after taking off from El Toro. Those killed in the crash were Marine reservists.

In September, a crash killed all four aboard when a CH-46 plunged into the ground in a remote area of Camp Pendleton. The crash occurred at 9 p.m. in hazy conditions, and the Marine Corps said the pilot was wearing night vision goggles.

In November, one Marine was killed and 22 others, including two sailors, were injured when a CH-46E, attempting a landing after losing power, crashed on the amphibious assault ship Peleliu. The crash left the aircraft dangling over the side of the Peleliu, where it remained until the ship docked in Long Beach.

The worst accident involving a a Sea Knight occurred in 1985 when a CH-46 with 19 Marines aboard plunged into the Atlantic after taking off from the amphibious assault ship Guadalcanal. Fifteen Marines died.

Used to Move Troops

Another CH-46 was involved in a mid-air collision with a CH-53A helicopter in 1981 over the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. Six Marines riding in the two aircraft died in the crash.

The CH-46, made by the Philadelphia-based Boeing Vertol Co., has generally been praised for its safety record. It is used by the Marines mostly as a troop carrier. It looks similar to the Army’s CH-47, but it is half the size.

The Marines hope to replace the Vietnam War-era CH-46 with a new tilt-rotor aircraft being developed by Bell and Boeing, called the V-22 Osprey.