Tragedy struck early this morning, just after midnight, off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Two Marine helicopters collided during a training exercise. There were six people on board each helicopter. So far, there are no signs of survivors, but no one has given up yet. Burning debris in the Pacific and an empty life boat were spotted. The Coast Guard is searching the area now. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that the incident involved two CH53 helicopters, which are called “Sea Stallions.”
From Fox News:
The U.S. Coast Guard searched Friday for two Marine helicopters that collided with 12 people on board near the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
Search conditions were challenging because of darkness and high surf, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers told Los Angeles radio station KNX-AM. She said a high surf advisory was in effect for waves 10 to 15 feet building throughout the morning.
Coast Guard District 14 told CBS News the debris field included an empty life raft and fire on the water.
The CH-53E “Super Stallion” helicopters were from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Each carried six people.
The aircraft were taking part in a nighttime training mission, according to NBC News. It’s unclear what caused the crash.
The aircraft were from the Marine Corps Air Station at Kaneohe Bay. No one knows what caused the crash at this time. The debris field was 2 1/2 miles off the coast, near the town of Haleiwa. A Navy helicopter and a Honolulu Fire Department rescue boat also responded and Coast Guard cutters are there now. The collision comes less than a year after the Marine Corps’ new hybridized airplane-and-helicopter aircraft crashed during a training exercise, killing two Marines. The MV-22 Osprey went down last May with 21 Marines and a Navy corpsman on board. My prayers are with all those that were on board and with their families. The Pacific is a vast place and survival is not out of the question here. It’s going to be a long day in Hawaii for these folks. Conditions on Friday include mostly cloudy skies with 10 mph winds and 8-foot seas. Surf on Oahu’s North Shore is expected to be 35 to 45 feet high beginning Friday with the largest swell of the season rolling in. Not good for anyone involved in this.
Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is an editor and writer for Right Wing News. She owns and blogs at NoisyRoom.net. She is a Constitutional Conservative and NoisyRoom focuses on political and national issues of interest to the American public. Terresa is the editor at Trevor Loudon's site, New Zeal - trevorloudon.com. She also does research at KeyWiki.org. You can email Terresa here. NoisyRoom can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.