# 7 killed in U.S. military helicopter crash



## vonGarvin (23 Feb 2012)

From the CBC


> The U.S. Marine Corps says seven marines were killed in a collision of two helicopters north of Yuma, Ariz., during night training.



More at link here


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## jollyjacktar (23 Feb 2012)

Shit, bad news.  Condolences to the family, friends and comrades of the fallen.


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## Silverfire (23 Feb 2012)

Rest in Peace Marines.

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but I'm not too familiar with air operations.  How exactly does a collision occur between 2 helicopters? Isn't there a lot of airspace for manoeuvrability?


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## vonGarvin (23 Feb 2012)

Silverfire said:
			
		

> Rest in Peace Marines.
> 
> Forgive my lack of knowledge, but I'm not too familiar with air operations.  How exactly does a collision occur between 2 helicopters? Isn't there a lot of airspace for manoeuvrability?



I have no idea what happened, or even what kind of training they were doing, and I can only speak from my own experience of being a passenger in a helicopter in training.   It can happen.  That it's newsworthy only heightens how rare it is.


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## wildman0101 (23 Feb 2012)

RIP Marine's. Your in God's country now. An Angel.
We shall naught forget you.  
condolrnces to Family, Comrade's and Friend's.
Scoty B


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## Good2Golf (23 Feb 2012)

RIP Marines.    Thoughts and prayers to family, comrades and friends of the fallen.

Silverfire, even with control measures, night operations are very unforgiving.  Cobras and Hueys often fly together in escort/escorted pairs or sections, so the "big sky, small bullet/plane/helicopter" theory of airspace separation does not necessarily apply.  Yuma gets VERY dark at night due to minimal cultural lighting, particularly behind the mountains -- this can contribute to the overall danger of operating in such an environment.

Regards
G2G


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## tomahawk6 (23 Feb 2012)

The were flying in darkness with night vision equipment. Accidents have happened in the past when a pilot became disoriented.They were experienced aircrews so anything could have gone wrong. Prayers for their families during this tragic time.


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## The Bread Guy (23 Feb 2012)

Ouch!  Condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the fallen....


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