Crash Claims Fourth Marine

A fourth crewman has died in the crash of a Marine Corps helicopter that went down during a nighttime training mission, a Marine spokesman said Friday.

Three Marines died instantly in the crash of the UH-1N Huey in the rugged Talega Canyon section of the base just after 7 p.m. Thursday. The fourth Marine was taken to the trauma center at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo and was pronounced dead hours later.

The crash is under investigation. “The aircraft itself was a total loss,” said Marine spokesman Capt. Shawn Turner.

The dead included Capt. Adam E. Miller, 29, of Midlothian, Ill.; Lt. Michael S. Lawlor, 26, of Timonium, Md.; and Cpl. Joshua Harris, 21, of Holiday, Fla. All three had served in Iraq. Miller had also served in Afghanistan. Miller and Lawlor were pilots and Harris was the helicopter’s crew chief.

The identification of one victim was withheld until his family could be notified.

Once widely used by the U.S. military services, the Huey is now used primarily by the Marine Corps to haul cargo, provide combat support and evacuate injured personnel.

The Army, Air Force and Navy have opted to invest in a new helicopter design, but the Marine Corps decided to “skip a generation” while the tilt-rotor Osprey is being developed.

The Huey, which came into service during the Vietnam War, has long been a favorite of crew members. “It’s a very maneuverable craft ... and very good in a variety of environments: desert, mountains and off the carrier deck,” said retired Navy helicopter pilot Dave Koontz.

Ground troops and helicopter squadrons from Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar are training to return to Iraq to relieve the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in the area west of Baghdad.

The UH-1N, one of several configurations of the Huey, is a twin-engine craft that requires two pilots and two enlisted crew members. At 57 feet in length and 15 feet in height, the Huey has a top speed of 140 mph and a maximum takeoff weight of 10,500 pounds.