Marine Helicopter Crash in N.C. River Kills 3, Injures 2
A Marine Corps helicopter crashed into a river during a nighttime flight Monday, killing three Marines and injuring two.
The CH-46 Sea Knight went down in the New River near Camp Lejeune about 11 p.m.
“They don’t know if it was mechanical or human error,” said 1st Lt. Clint Cascaden, a Marine spokesman. “There were no reports that the aircraft so much as squawked” before the crash.
The pilot and co-pilot were hospitalized in stable condition. The bodies of three crew members were pulled from the river by divers early Tuesday. They were identified as Sgt. Richard Beaty of Cleveland, Tenn.; Sgt. Bryon Lance of Windsor, Vt.; and Lance Cpl. Sean Hughes of Strafford, N.H.
The CH-46 was one of two helicopters practicing a night ship landing.
The exercise required the helicopters to touch down near the river on a metal platform meant to simulate the deck of a ship, said Capt. Alan Crouch, a Marine spokesman. One helicopter had landed and was waiting for the second, which crashed.
The platform is about the size of a football field, and has lights and is painted to look like a ship deck.
The CH-46 is used mainly for carrying troops.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
