Marine helicopters collide at Camp Lejeune; 14 dead
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May 10, 1996
Updated at: 3:40 p.m. EDTCAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (CNN) -- Fourteen U.S. servicemen were killed Friday morning when two U.S. Marine helicopters collided during massive U.S.-British war games.
Camp Lejeune spokesman Maj. Steve Little said a CH-46 Sea Knight and an AH-1 Cobra collided in a wooded area on the base at about 2 a.m. Twelve Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army soldier were killed.
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Little said the Cobra had a two-man crew, and the CH- 46 had 14 people aboard, including a crew of four. The pilots of the CH-46 were the only survivors. One was in critical condition, the other escaped with minor injuries.
Over 50,000 military personnel from Britain and the U.S. are participating in the war games.
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There have been nine Marine Corps aircraft crashes in 1996 -- the highest number of major accidents for that branch of the service in six years. The Corps suspended non-essential flight operations for two days in March to review safety rules.
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