CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : FORT IRWIN : Pilot Dies When Hit by Helicopter Blade

A pilot has died at Ft. Irwin after being struck by the rotor blade of an OH-58 observation helicopter, a spokesman for the U.S. Army post near Barstow reported. Sgt. Jaime Cavazos said the accident occurred during a routine exercise in the desert 10 miles northeast of the main post at Ft. Irwin, home of the Army’s National Training Center. The victim, 1st Lt. Billy C. Perry Jr., 29, of Chattanooga, Tenn., was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Ft. Campbell, Ky.