Three Marines Dead in Helicopter Crash

S N E A D S  F E R R Y, N.C., July 10 -- A Marine Corps helicopter on atraining exercise crashed into the New River near the Camp LejeuneMarine Corps base, killing three Marines and injuring two others.

The pilot and co-pilot of the CH-46 Sea Knight, which went downat about 11 p.m. Monday, were hospitalized in stable condition. The bodies of the three victims were pulled from the river byrescue divers early Tuesday, said base spokesman Capt. Alan Crouch.The identities of the crew were not immediately released.

500 Yards Offshore

The tail of the helicopter was visible in the river about 500yards offshore near the Sneads Ferry base gate. "Right now the only thing to see is a small bit of gray metallumped on the shallow bottom of the New River," Crouch said. The helicopter, assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit,was practicing a night ship landing when it crashed. The exerciserequired the helicopter to touch down on a simulated deck of anamphibious ship on land near the river, Crouch said. The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

Troop Chopper's Troubled Past

The CH-46 is used mainly for troop transport. The same model helicopter crashed Dec. 9, 1999, during atraining flight 15 miles off the San Diego shore, killing sevenMarines from Miramar Naval Air Station. A CH-46 helicopter was also involved in a May 1996 collision oftwo Marine helicopters at Camp Lejeune. Fourteen people died in theaccident. The Marines' aging fleet of CH-46s was scheduled to be replacedby the VS-22 Osprey, a helicopter-airplane hybrid. But thechangeover has been delayed because the Osprey has encounterednumerous problems highlighted by two crashes last year that killed23 Marines.