A US Marine Corps helicopter crashed into a river near the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina killing three crew members and seriously injuring another two, a corps spokesman said.
The Vietnam era, twin-rotor CH-46 Sea Knight aircraft crashed into the New River, some 500 yards from shore at around 11:00 pm Monday (0300 am, Tuesday), during field carrier landing practice, public relations officer Paul Cabellon said.
The cause of the crash had not been determined, he said, adding that the base received an emergency call from the chopper after it had crashed.
Three crew members aboard the chopper died in the accident, while the pilot and co-pilot were seriously injured and taken to area hospitals. Their condition as of Tuesday morning was stable, Cabellon said.
A CH-46 crashed off the coast of California, near San Diego, on December 9, 1999, killing seven people on board -- WASHINGTON (AFP)
