1 service member dead, several others injured during helicopter crash aboard

Capt. Ryan Elizabeth Alvis said in a statement that the CH-53E helicopter came down hard during a training exercise around 9 p.m. Wednesday. Lewis was with an anti-terrorism fleet security team based in near Norfolk, Virginia. “He cared tremendously about the Marines under his charge and held all of us, including himself, to a very high standard”, Brabec said.

A hard landing is when an aircraft impacts the ground with a greater vertical speed and force than a normal landing, typically after a rapid or steep descent.

Two of the 11 Marines injured in the accident remained hospitalized in stable condition on Friday morning, officials said.

Officials say the name of the Marine who died won’t be released for 24 hours, and the names of the injured weren’t immediately disclosed.

Kenney said that such training allows soldiers to use rappelling and fast-ropes techniques to get into hard terrain where aircraft may not be able to land.

According to a Marine Corps release, Staff Sergeant Jonathan Lewis was transferred via air MEDEVAC to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

At the press conference, Col. Kenney expressed his condolences for the family of the fallen Marine.

Col. Sean Salene, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 29, said that the aircraft is damaged and that officials haven’t determined whether it will return to service.

The military said two National Guard pilots became disoriented while switching from visual-based to instrument-based flight procedures.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory stated in a launch that the “tragic accident reminds us all the risks and sacrifices our army women and men and their households face as they shield our freedom and lifestyle”. The helicopter is the Marine Corps’ primary heavy lift helicopter.

In April, a Marine Corps CH-53E had to make an emergency landing on a California beach after a low oil-pressure indicator light went on in the cockpit during training.

In March, a Black Hawk crashed in a thick fog throughout coaching off Florida, killing 11 service members.