3 Found in Ocean Near Chopper Wreckage

Three bodies believed to be those of a Marine helicopter crew that crashed last week have been found on the ocean floor about 12 miles offshore, officials said Monday.

The bodies, found over the weekend, had not been positively identified Monday, but Camp Pendleton officials said they likely were those of three of the four men who disappeared Wednesday.

Wreckage of a UH-1 Huey helicopter that plunged into the Pacific Ocean off Oceanside was found near the bodies, Marine Major Stephen Kay said.

The helicopter crashed while practicing night landings aboard the USS Rushmore.

On Monday, officials were using mechanical equipment to search the depths of the Pacific and retrieve the bodies. Kay said crews would continue searching for the fourth body.

The missing men were identified as Capt. Barry Fleming, 28, a pilot from Northbrook, Ill.; Capt. Robert Falkenbach, 27, a pilot from Bumpass, Va.; Staff Sgt. Steven King, 28, a mechanic from Columbus, Miss.; and Sgt. Barry Coleman, 28, a crew chief from Baldwin County, Ala.

Separately Monday, Marine Corps officials announced that they have ended a temporary stand-down of Third Marine Aircraft Wing helicopters that had been ordered the day after the crash. All 50 or so UH-1 Huey helicopters based in the Southwestern United States that make up the unit have undergone mechanical and flight tests, and been deemed safe, officials said.

The cause of the accident was still under investigation, Kay said, adding that he did not know the depth of the water where the bodies were found or any details of their location.

It was still not clear how close the helicopter was to the Rushmore at the time that it went down or if there were any witnesses.

Visibility was clear and the weather calm at the time of the accident.

Officials said the men were trained to escape from an immersed aircraft, but the top-heavy helicopter sometimes flips upside down in accidents and may have trapped the Marines.