Military Helicopter Crashes Near N.C. Coast

There was no immediate word on how many people were aboard or whether they were injured.

The aircraft crashed around 4 p.m. Wednesday in heavy woods in the Croatan National Forest. The forest is located between New Bern and Morehead City on North Carolina's central coast.

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Harrier pilot listed in good condition after crash
By ERIC STEINKOPFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A Marine AV-8B Harrier pilot attached to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit was listed in good condition Monday after being plucked from Onslow Bay early Sunday morning.

Capt. Samuel N. Hotz, 33, ejected safely just before midnight Saturday on his way back to land on the USS Nassau, the lead vessel in a three-ship 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit which was preparing to deploy from Camp Lejeune to the Mediterranean Sea in early August.

The Harrier went down while the MEU was in routine training for its special operations capabilities.

1st Lt. Dan McSweeney, public affairs officer with the 24th MEU, said that a Marine Corps helicopter rescued the downed pilot from an unspecified area stretching from Cape Lookout to Cape Fear less than 30 minutes after the Harrier went down. Marine Corps officials Monday did not provide details on where the plane went down or when, how — or even if — the aircraft would be salvaged.

“That information is not being released for operational security issues,” said Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge, public affairs spokesman for Cherry Point Air Station. “Salvage efforts will be determined within the investigation.”

The Harrier has seven internal tanks that can carry a total of 3,530 gallons and be fitted with six external tanks that can carry an additional total of 1132.656 gallons of JP4 or JP5 jet fuel, as well as 2.5 gallons of oil and 60 gallons of water.

A large assortment of bombs, rocket launchers, missiles and guns can be fitted under the wings, but officials would not release how the lost aircraft was configured.

The AV-8B, which costs $23.7 million to replace, was introduced in the mid-1980s as an upgrade to the AV-8A vertical and short takeoff and landing fighter jet, weighing 12,800 pounds empty, standing 11Â½ feet tall and just over 46 feet long with a wingspan of just over 30 feet.

The Marines temporarily grounded their Harrier jets, as well as other aircraft, due to safety concerns at various times in calendar years 1999 and 2000.

After the investigation into a June 21, 2000, crash showed a damaged bearing, 107 Harriers were grounded in July 2000 and again following a Feb. 4, 2001, crash of a Harrier trainer at Cherry Point.

Arledge did say that the Marine Corps’ Harrier fleet of 175 aircraft has not been grounded as a result of this weekend’s crash, but he did not know the status of the remaining five attached to the 24th MEU.

The Harrier has a combat radius of 522 miles, and McSweeney said that they were returning from a medium-range mission late Saturday when the incident occurred.

The incident is the second training mishap to beset the 24th MEU this month.

On June 6, he USS Tortuga ran aground about 1,000 yards off the coast of Morehead City while participating in another pre-deployment exercise. The ship was not damaged in the incident, but its commander and executive officer were relieved last week.

McSweeney said that Saturday’s incident interrupted the exercise temporarily, but they resumed their training once the pilot was rescued. He said that he did not expect a delay in their August departure date.

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