1 Marine killed, 11 injured in NC helicopter crash
One U.S. Marine was killed and 11 were injured when a helicopter made a hard landing during a training exercise at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the Marines said on Thursday.
The accident, which occurred around 9 p.m. on Wednesday with a CH-53E helicopter, is under investigation, the Marines said in a statement.
A hard landing occurs when an aircraft touches down with greater force and speed than normal, typically after a particularly fast or steep descent, according to the statement.
Of the injured, two were hospitalized in stable condition. Nine were scheduled to be released after medical evaluation, the statement said.
The command said it was working to contact families of the Marines involved and that the name of the service member who was killed will not be released for 24 hours.
"We want to ensure the Marines and family members of the units involved in the mishap have easy access to any help they may need after this tragic event," Captain Kendra Motz said in the statement.
It could take weeks or months to complete the investigation, the Marines said.
In March, four soldiers and seven Marines from a special operations unit from Camp Lejeune were killed when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter plunged into waters off the Florida Panhandle during a training exercise.
