2 Marines Missing, 4 Found in Sea After Helicopters Collide

Two Marine helicopters collided and crashed into the sea while on maneuvers off Santa Catalina Island on Monday afternoon, and two of the six crew members were missing, authorities said.

Four crew members were pulled from the sea by a fishing boat, the De Brun, authorities said. They were taken by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo. Two were thought to have suffered back injuries.

None of the crew members was identified and officials said they had no specific information on their conditions.

Cpl. Chris Cox of the Marine public affairs office at El Toro said the helicopters--a two-seat AH-1 Cobra and a larger UH-1N Huey, both from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 at Camp Pendleton--apparently collided over the Pacific about 15 miles southeast of Avalon about 4:30 p.m.

Moments later, the Coast Guard said, the crew of the De Brun, which was a few miles from where the two aircraft plunged into the sea, spotted a distress flare. The Doubloon rushed to the area, which was littered with debris, and pulled the crew members from the water. The four reportedly were wearing life jackets.

Coast Guard and Navy ships and three Coast Guard aircraft--two helicopters and a C-130 cargo plane--searched into the night for the missing crew members. Some searchers were equipped with night-vision goggles.

“We’ve found a lot of wreckage,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Claeys. “But there’s no sign of the missing Marines.”