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U.S. military helicopter crashes near Catania after taking off from base

ROME (AP) -- A U.S. military helicopter went down in a fiery crash in the Sicilian countryside Wednesday, killing at least three crew members, Italian firefighters said.

The U.S. Navy base at Sigonella, Sicily, confirmed the crash of a MH-53E Sea Dragon with four crew members, but said the status of the crew members was not known. The names of crew members were being withheld pending family notification.

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The helicopter had crashed a short time after taking off from the U.S. Navy base at Sigonella, outside Catania in eastern Sicily, according to national fire officials in Rome.

Italian firefighters in Sicily said three and possibly four crew members were dead, a national fire department official said on condition of anonymity.

Italian firefighters said the helicopter was engulfed in flames sparked by the crash, and that the fire was put out by crews from the U.S. base.

[adam_az]

As per http://members.aol.com/mh53e/history.htm the MH53-E isn't even that old - there are much older birds still in use... the MH-53E was in production from 81 to 94.