A Life Aloft
Well-Known Member
"The U.S. Coast Guard says it has responded to a report of a military aircraft collision involving two Marine helicopters off the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Chief Petty Officer Fara Mooers told ABC News.
Responders are searching for 12 people in a debris field 2 miles off the coast of Haleiwa. Each helicopter was carrying six people.
The Marine Corps said in a news release that the aircraft were from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
The Coast Guard received a call from the Marine Corp Air Station, Kane’ohe Bay, at 11:38 p.m. local time Thursday requesting assistance.
Officials launched Coast Guard aircraft -- a MH65 helicopter and an HC130 Coast Guard airplane -- from Oahu.
The Coast Guard is searching the debris with assistance from a Navy helicopter crew and the Honolulu Fire Department with a helicopter and rescue boat on scene.
They have not located any personnel at this time and are continuing to search."
and:
HALEIWA, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
"Rescue crews are searching for 12 service members on board two U.S. Marine Corps helicopters that crashed off Oahu’s North Shore late Thursday night.
The Marine Corps confirmed there is an active search and rescue operation underway for two Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, each with six personnel aboard. Officials said the helicopters collided near Haleiwa and landed in the water.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Fara Mooers said the Marine Corps Air Station in Kaneohe requested assistance following reports of a collision at around 10:40 p.m. She said a Waialua resident reported hearing aircraft and then saw a fireball. Another individual reported seeing a flare. Upon further investigation, the Coast Guard determined it was a possible Marine Corps aircraft collision.
"Crews discovered a life raft with no one on board and visible flames on the water," Mooers said.
Marine Corps Capt. Timothy Irish said the service members were conducting a routine night training that started from Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe and expected to conclude there.
The Coast Guard dispatched a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a HC-130 aircraft, both of which arrived on scene shortly after midnight. Two Coast Guard Cutters – the 87-foot Ahi from Maui and the 110-foot Kiska from the Big Island – have also been requested.
Responders are searching for survivors in a debris field north of Haleiwa, the Coast Guard said. The initial debris field was about a half mile offshore, but has drifted at least 8 miles offshore since then. The search area spans about 20 miles along the shoreline.
“Anytime you are dealing with a debris field … that’s pretty normal that it will move,” Coast Guard Lt. Scott Carr said in a phone interview on Hawaii News Now Sunrise. “As you go over time in any search and rescue, the area typically starts to get bigger."
The Honolulu Fire Department -- with help from federal firefighters -- and the U.S. Navy are also assisting with assets currently on scene. The Kaneohe-based HSM 39 Navy attacker helicopter has been dispatched and two Navy destroyers -- the USS John Paul Jones and USS Gridley -- are currently en route to the islands to help with search and rescue efforts, the Navy said. Each ship can hold up to 300 sailors.
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. “That will certainly make our search efforts a little more daunting at this time,” Carr said."
How horrible....so terribly sorry/sad.........hoping against hope for survivors.....hearts and thoughts to their fellow soldiers, families and friends. Damn. RIP.
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