4 Tustin-Based Marines Hurt in Somalia Air Crash

Four crew members based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin suffered minor injuries when their helicopter crashed in Somalia on Saturday night, U.S. military officials said Sunday.

The CH-53D Sea Stallion transport helicopter, from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, crashed while landing during routine training exercises at a small airfield in Baledogle, about 65 miles northwest of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

It was the first aviation accident of Operation Restore Hope, which began in December.

“It was a Class A mishap, which means there was damage over $1 million or fatal injuries. In this case, there were no serious injuries, but the damage was over $1 million,” said Sgt. John Cordero, a spokesman for the Tustin Marine base.

Col. Fred Peck, a Marine spokesman, said the transport helicopter landed hard and fell on its side. The cause of the accident, which occurred about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Somali time, is under investigation.

In a statement released by Cordero, Cmdr. Peter W. Eaton, a Navy flight surgeon in Baledogle, said that the pilot and one crewman were flown to the U.S. Army 86th Evac Hospital at Mogadishu Airport for treatment and observation. Two others were treated near the crash site and released, according to Eaton. The names of the injured Marines were not disclosed Sunday, pending notification of relatives.

Cordero said the Tustin base’s wing duty officer received only a brief message about the crash Sunday, with few details.

About 3,000 Marines from the Tustin and El Toro bases left for Somalia in December as part of a United Nations humanitarian mission to ensure that food supplies reach the starving there. About 19,000 U.S. troops are in Somalia, with most expected to gradually return home over the next six weeks.