Two Marine officers were killed when their helicopter crashed during a training mission at a southern California base on Friday. The craft went down about 4:30 PT at the Marine Corps Air Ground Center located in Twentynine Palms, CA.
As the Los Angeles Times reported, the bodies of the Marines were identified as Capt. Elizabeth Kealey and 1st Lt. Adam Satterfield. They were the only occupants abroad the Huey UH-1Y helicopter. The officers were members of the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169.
Their squadron commander, Lt. Col. James Isaacs, spoke highly of the two deceased marines.
“[They] were both outstanding Marine Corps officers and talented helicopter pilots. I was fortunate to have the distinct honor of serving as their commanding officer.”
The 32-year-old Capt. Kealey, who received her commission in May 2005, was from Indiana, PA served as both a pilot and weapons training instructor. She served in Afghanistan and served two deployments with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Kealey was awarded three Strike/Flight awards and the Navy and Marine Corps achievement award.
As the K-ABC Channel 7 News reported, Lt. Adam Satterfield was 25-years-old and received his commission in 2011. He served as a helicopter pilot and supported training operations in southern California.
While combat missions are the most dangerous for pilots, training missions have seen their share of deadly crashes as well. In March, a F/A-18C Hornet crashed in the Nevada desert, about 70 miles east of Naval Air Station Fallon, which is in western Nevada. The pilot of the aircraft was not able to eject and died in the crash.
Other Marines have died in training mission crashes as well. In 2012, during what was considered a routine training operation, seven Marines were killed when their helicopters collided. Six of the Marines were from Camp Pendleton in California, while the seventh Marine was stationed in Yuma, AZ.
Fortunately, some crashes are not fatal for the pilot or those on the ground. As the Inquisitr reported, last June an AV-8B Harrier jet crashed in Imperial Valley, CA , which is a dense neighborhood, and somehow, no one was hurt in the crash because the pilot managed to steer the craft away from the houses on the ground.
The cause of the crash is not known at this time, but it is under investigation.
[Image via Los Angeles Times. ]