9 missing after collision of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Cobra helicopter

BreakingNews via Twitter | Oct 30, 2009 | BreakingNews via Twitter

[VRWCTexan]

BreakingNews San Diego media: 9 missing after collision of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Cobra helicopter off the SD coast. BNO News working to confirm.

[VRWCTexan]

searching google

[amom]

Praying

[VRWCTexan]

http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Marine-Helicopter-And-Coast-Guard-Plane-Collide/lF0CO2r6102_ENGYVZcrwA.cspx

SAN DIEGO - The Coast Guard and Navy are responding to a mid-air collision between a Department of Defense helicopter and a Coast Guard airplane 15 miles east of San Clemente Island, Calif., Thursday evening.
At 7:10 p.m. the Navy reported to the Coast Guard that they observed what appeared to be a mid-air collision in the vicinity of San Clemente Island.

The Coast Guard responded by sending three Coast Guard cutters, and diverting an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to the area to search for survivors. The Navy sent four vessels and multiple helicopters to aid in the search.

The Coast Guard and Navy are actively searching for survivors at this time

_______________

Pray

[skr]

Prayers for all concerned.

[OldDeckHand]

"Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Cobra helicopter"

How does that happen. What kind of exercise puts those two aircraft, an attack helicopter and a long range surveillance plane, it such close proximity?

[SideoutFred]

I was going to ask the same question

[444Flyer]

Prayers!!! Prayers!!!! Prayers!!!!!

[OldDeckHand]

There’s a Navy airfield - single runway - on San Clemente. I don’t even know if it’s still active - I haven’t been there since the early 90s. Maybe it has something to do with that.

[VRWCTexan]

NOT GOOD

Both aircraft would have a total of nine crew members, including two on the helicopter, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

He said a pilot reported seeing a fireball about 7:10 p.m. near the suspected crash site. Earlier reports stated that a single Navy helicopter may have crashed.

A search-and-rescue operation was underway.

The Coast Guard cannot account for its plane, and the Marine Corps cannot account for the helicopter, Gregor said.

Both pilots were not talking to FAA air traffic controllers at the time of the collision, he said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/coast-guard-transport-plane-may-have-collided-with-marine-helicopter-off-southern-california-coast.html

[SoCalPol]

Here in San Diego we have the largest concentration of military. Major numbers of Marines and Navy.

San Clemente Island is off the NW coast of San Diego and is owned by the Navy.
Used for war games etc.

The Marine Chopers along with Marine Jets are based here at Marimar Marine Air Station, hedquarters of the 3rd air wing
also Camp Pendleton here with tens of thousands of Marines has Choppers based there also

[Drew68]

How does that happen. What kind of exercise puts those two aircraft, an attack helicopter and a long range surveillance plane, it such close proximity?

I'm wondering if it was a Marine Cobra or a Navy H-60? The HSM/L squadrons conduct ASW training out on SCI. Additionally, there's a SEAL training area and a bombing range. I've been there a few times. I've never seen Cobras but that doesn't mean they couldn't be training out there as well. Lot's of live-fire exercises conducted out there.

Hmm... It's pretty quiet here on the NASNI seawall. Maybe I'll head out to the smoke pit and see what's up.

Prayers to all.

[444Flyer]

Would the Cobra have been out of MCAS Mira Mar or MCB Pendleton?

[GeronL]

I just google mapped the island and found a runway on the central-northern side of the island. It looks horrible and unkempt from the map image.

Is there another one?

[Drew68]

I don’t even know if it’s still active - I haven’t been there since the early 90s.

It's still very active. Half my command is out there right now (probably drinking at the Salty Crab until this happened). Metro flights take off every hour or so from here on NAS North Island.

[VRWCTexan]

Twitter reports signs of wreckage floating

[SoCalPol]

see my post #10

I have on one of our local news stations now
here in San Diego They have found some debris

[444Flyer]

:(

[OldDeckHand]

"The Coast Guard cannot account for its plane, and the Marine Corps cannot account for the helicopter, Gregor said."

A helo/airplane mid-air would probably be most catastrophic. The Navy is still looking for a T-34 lost of the coast of Texas just last night. It has not been a good 24 hrs for military aviation, and with the helo accident in Afghanistan this weekend, it's been a worse week. Most tragic. Let's pray for the best.

[GeronL]

Near the northern tip I think I can see another runway under the thick clouds. barely.

[OldDeckHand]

"Is there another one?"

No. That's the one, it's definitely on the north side of the island, right at the top. Drew says it's still very active.

[GeronL]

T-34 out of Corpus?

[elizabethgrace]

I’m watching Fox 5. Talking about the cold water - 65 degrees. It’s still a search and rescue mission.

[GeronL]

Not right at the top. The one right at the top is obscured by clouds, barely visible on Google maps. The one I can see clearly is abandoned.

[OldDeckHand]

"T-34 out of Corpus?"

Yep. Student/Flight Instructor. I remember a crash out of Corpus about 10 years ago with the same crew. The T-34s don't have ejector seats, so you've got to manually bail, which can be difficult if you've lost attitudinal control of the aircraft.

[SoCalPol]

I am just a few miles from the Coast Guard Air Station
here, just saw a spokesman there on TV say there are Cutters
heading out and Navy in the area.

NAS NI Great history there.

[GeronL]

I have google mapped that before. I have done that to a lot of bases, lol. I guess I just get interested. Seeing fighters, bombers and attack aircraft like that is pretty cool.

[444Flyer]

Marine Helicopter And Coast Guard Plane Collide

Last Update: 10/29 10:40 pm

SAN DIEGO - The Coast Guard and Navy are responding to a mid-air collision between a Department of Defense helicopter and a Coast Guard airplane 15 miles east of San Clemente Island, Calif., Thursday evening. At 7:10 p.m. the Navy reported to the Coast Guard that they observed what appeared to be a mid-air collision in the vicinity of San Clemente Island.

The Coast Guard responded by sending three Coast Guard cutters, and diverting an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to the area to search for survivors. The Navy sent four vessels and multiple helicopters to aid in the search.

The Coast Guard and Navy are actively searching for survivors at this time.

The helicopter was similar to the AH-1W Super Cobra, the helicopter that crashed near Alpine in May taking the lives of two Marine Corps pilots.

AH-1W Super Cobra

The helicopter was part of the 3rd Marine Air Wing Light Attack Squadron. It can carry two pilots but it is not know how many were on board when it went down.

http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Coast-Guard-c130-Marine-Cobra-helicopter-collide/lF0CO2r6102_ENGYVZcrwA.cspx

[Drew68]

Not right at the top. The one right at the top is obscured by clouds, barely visible on Google maps. The one I can see clearly is abandoned.

The one on top obscured by clouds is the active runway. The others are probably abandoned runways from WWII. The island is littered with abandoned pillboxes from when we thought the Japanese were going to invade the mainland.

Most of the island is off-limits to personnel and used as a bombing range. Only the northern tip of it is occupied by people.

[SoCalPol]

There is a lot of history of these situations here.

Remember during nam when a pilot about ready to crash ejected out and the jet went through one of the hangers
here at Marimar.
A year ago a jet crashed into a home here.
Lot off of North Island over the yrs.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

Prayers.

[GeronL]

I can see things that look like unmanned weather stations, a possible observatory or radar station... weather radar?

[Vendome]

C-130 and a helicopter? How? Over the Ocean?

[Americanwolf]

I ask the same question myself.... unless the c-130 was acting in a SAR capacity and was doing low level grid searches... but that does not explain the cobra... it is a head scratcher...

[444Flyer]

Witnesses reporting seeing a ‘Fireball’ according to Channel 4 news Los Angeles.

[~Kim4VRWC's~]

(((Prayers))) and lots of questions!

[444Flyer]

Wonder if anybody is anybody reporting on the weather conditions at the time of the crash?

[elizabethgrace]

CG reporting no signs of any survivors. :(

I think we anticipated that sad news.

We really didn’t pay attention to the sunset tonight. Last night was windy, tonight was just clear and lovely as usual.

[SoCalPol]

Off the coast of San Diego

[elizabethgrace]

Interesting, I just mentioned he weather in post # 37, since I live at the beach. Weather was clear and lovely tonight.

[444Flyer]

Does anybody know if 3rd Marine Air Wing Light Attack Squadron is based out of Mira Mar?

[SoCalPol]

Right now here it is 60 and clear

[elizabethgrace]

Exactly the same for Pacific Beach.

[PhiKapMom]

My daughter was stationed at North Island. What a gorgeous place.

[SoCalPol]

I am a few miles from the Harbor and Bay downtown.

[SoCalPol]

Not long back they re did the gate entrances at NI
very nice. The main one named for Adm. Stockdale.
the former nam POW who died here a few yrs. ago.

[GOP Poet]

very sad. Prayers up and prayers up for the family members. What a sad, sad report.

[elizabethgrace]

Right. Remember you told me where you live in FR mail? You and my grandma were born in the same hospital!

[PhiKapMom]

We were there when one of the carriers came back from the Gulf and left off the crews before heading up north. It is amazing to watch. Another time we were there when a carrier was leaving North Island.

Some of those civilian houses not to mention the large hotel are amazing there.

[Vendome]

I know that. Been there plenty of times. Just thinking how does a C-130, a very large plane and a helicopter, a not so large aircraft make contact.

Helo’s don't necessarily fly same path and even have different pad area of the field to land.

This was over open water and I am just trying to imagine how with all the gear both craft have they would be in each others path and why since they different missions they would even be so close to each other.

[SoCalPol]

On the Bay side of NI is based the carriers Reagan, Nimitz and in a few months will also be home ported here the carrier Carl Venson. All Nukes

The Lincoln and Stennis are based in Wash. and much of their air wings are based here so they are down here often.

S.D. also has home ported many Amph Assult ships which look like carriers but little smaller. They carry 2,000 Marines
and dozens of choppers and harriers jets.