Hawaii This article is more than 8 years oldHawaii helicopter crash: laser complicates search for missing marines
This article is more than 8 years oldCoast guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but US marine corp official said he did not know if the accident was a collision
The US coast guard said crew members looking for 12 marines missing after two helicopters crashed off Hawaii had to alter their search patterns because of a laser.
Spokeswoman Tara Molle said a green laser off Haleiwa Beach Park struck an aircraft searching for the marines on Saturday night. Crew members were not exposed to the laser and did not need to land, but they changed their search patterns to avoid being struck again.
Molle said lasers can be life-threatening for crew members flying at night, as they can cause a temporary loss of night vision. There was no intention as of Sunday morning to call off or suspend the search, she added.
Two helicopters each carrying six marines went down off Oahu’s north shore late Thursday. On Saturday, rescuers battled waves up to 30ft that dispersed debris and complicated the search, which was expanded to include waters off Oahu’s west coast.
On Saturday evening, the US marine corps released the names of the missing officers. They are: Major Shawn M Campbell, 41; Captain Brian T Kennedy, 31; Captain Kevin T Roche, 30; Captain Steven R Torbert, 29; Sergeant Dillon J Semolina, 24; Sergeant Adam C Schoeller, 25; Sergeant Jeffrey A Sempler, 22; Sergeant William J Turner, 25; Corporal Matthew R Drown, 23; Corporal Thomas J Jardas, 22; Corporal Christopher J Orlando, 23; and Lance Corporal Ty L Hart, 21.
“It makes finding things incredibly difficult,” coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Scott Carr said.
Winds died down to about 10mph, but the National Weather Service said a high surf warning would remain in effect through Sunday morning.
The coast guard was notified late Thursday of the crash by a civilian who saw the aircraft flying then disappear and a fireball. Someone else reported a flare in the sky, Carr said. It was not clear if the fireball and the flare were the same.
The marines were alerted when the CH-53E helicopters carrying six crew members each failed to return to their base at Kaneohe Bay following a nighttime training mission.
A Navy P-3 airplane was scouring the ocean, along with helicopters from the coast guard, army, navy and Honolulu police and fire departments. Two navy warships and two coast guard cutters were on the scene. Honolulu lifeguards on personal watercraft were also looking.
The coast guard was keeping people out of a wide zone that spanned about 30 miles of shoreline, citing danger from debris. The zone extended from the shore to eight miles off the coast.
The coast guard initially reported that the choppers had collided, but marine Captain Timothy Irish said on Friday that he did not know if the accident was a collision.
The helicopters normally carry four crew members, but this particular flight also carried one or two instructor trainers, Irish said. He did not know if they were teaching the crew or just observing.
The family of Corporal Orlando said it was grateful for people’s prayers. “We continue to monitor the ongoing search effort in Hawaii and are thankful for the hard work of the many federal and local heroes undertaking this search and rescue mission,” the family said in a statement released by the Massachusetts state police.
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