Yesterday was a bad day for Marine Aviation...a stark reminder that even training is dangerous.
First this from NBC News...
One Marine was killed and three injured when a helicopter crashed into a bay on the coast of Oahu, a military spokesman said Wednesday.Then this from Marine Times...
The CH-53 D Sea Stallion, with four Marines aboard, crashed about 7:20 p.m. Hawaii time Tuesday, Maj. Alan Crouch, with the Marines' public affairs office in Hawaii, told NBC News.
An AV-8B Harrier jump jet crashed Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden shortly after taking off from the amphibious assault ship Boxer, military officials told Marine Corps Times.UPDATE* It was a worse day than I thought. Add this to the roll of woe...
The pilot ejected and wasn’t seriously injured, according to Marine Corps and Navy officials.
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Ten Sailors aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) were injured March 30 when an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101 suffered a catastrophic engine failure and subsequently caught fire.
The injured Sailors were working on the flight deck near the jet when the incident occurred at 2:50 p.m. They were initially treated by the ship's medical personnel.
Four Sailors have been flown to Naval Medical Center San Diego where they are in stable condition. The pilot was not injured.
The fire was quickly extinguished, and there is no significant damage to the ship.
"I am extremely proud of our crew," said Stennis Commanding Officer Capt Ronald Reis. "The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is an inherently dangerous place, but our personnel are well-trained to operate safely in this environment. They responded quickly, professionally and with purpose, extinguishing the aircraft engine fire."
The cause of the mishap is under investigation.
USS John C. Stennis is homeported in Bremerton, Wash., and was conducting Fleet Replacement Squadron Carrier Qualifications in the Southern California operating area at the time of the mishap. VMFAT-101 is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Bad day indeed.
ReplyDeleteRIP, and that the injured have a full recovery.
Random chance dictates we will go long periods when nothing happens with clusters of these kind of accidents happening all at once from time to time. Doesn't make it any easier knowing it is chance - a bad time is a bad time.
ReplyDeletePeople do tend to forget that for many in the military, just going to work is hazardous to your health.
Made my heart sink when I heard on the news last night about the Stennis. I live in Bremerton and have a nephew stationed aboard her. To boot he's a fireman aboard the ship. We've not heard directly from him, suffice it to say through the channels my family has he was not involved in the explosion and subsequent fire.
ReplyDeletethat's the saddest part of more people not serving in the military.
ReplyDeletethe average public does not realize how dangerous everyday duty is. they don't realize how many service people die everyday doing what many of those that have served would consider routine.
i'm glad your family member is ok though Phil...good news indeed.
My thoughts are with the family of the Marine killed on Oahu--and with the families of the injured. May they all recover quickly from their injuries. S/F
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