RALEIGH, N.C.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The\u00a0Marine\u00a0Corps held scheduled a news conference Friday morning to offer more details about what happened when a CH-53E Super Stallion\u00a0helicopter had to land harder and faster than normal during training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, resulting in one death and 11 injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Col. Jeffrey Kenney identified the deceased Marine as Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lewis, 31,\u00a0a native of Warrenton, Virginia. He said Lewis was inside the helicopter when he was killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter made the hard landing around 9 p.m. on Wednesday in a training area known as Stone Bay, military officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lewis\u00a0and the 11 comrades who sustained injuries were taking part in a helicopter ropes exercise that’s described as “high-risk” in a training manual that underscores the dangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 20\u00a0Marines\u00a0were participating in the training that requires them to exit through the back of the helicopter using suspended ropes, according to a news release. The technique allows\u00a0Marines\u00a0to enter and exit terrain where helicopter landings would be difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 2003 edition of the\u00a0Marines’ manual for Helicopter Rope Suspension Techniques acknowledges the dangers, warning of the potential for injury or death. It also discusses how nighttime operations can be a challenge, lays out safety procedures and primes\u00a0Marines\u00a0on how wind from the helicopter’s rotors can affect them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not clear if those factors played a role. The\u00a0Marines\u00a0have declined to say what may have caused the hard landing,\u00a0or whether the\u00a0Marines\u00a0were in the aircraft, on ropes or on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0Marines\u00a0called the accident a hard landing, which generally describes when an aircraft hits the ground with greater speed and force than normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weather appeared to be calm at the time. Skies were clear, winds were less than 5 mph and the temperature was 79 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One\u00a0Marine\u00a0was taken from the scene by medical aircraft and pronounced dead at the hospital, according to a news release. Two remained hospitalized in stable condition Thursday afternoon. Nine have been treated and released. No names have been disclosed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The loss of a\u00a0Marine\u00a0or sailor affects us all. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of our deceased\u00a0Marine,” Maj. Gen. William Beydler, commanding general of II\u00a0Marine\u00a0Expeditionary Force, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The helicopter was assigned to Heavy Helicopter Squadron-464,\u00a0Marine\u00a0Aircraft Group\u00a029, 2nd\u00a0Marine\u00a0Aircraft Wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Super Stallion, a massive, heavy-lift helicopter, is the largest in the military and considered the\u00a0Marine Corps’ workhorse. It stands nearly three stories tall and has a top speed of 172 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0Marine\u00a0Corps website says the aircraft can carry 16 tons of cargo \u2014 such as the\u00a0Marines’ Light Armored Vehicle \u2014 on a 100-mile roundtrip and says it has “the armament, speed and agility to qualify as much more than a heavy lifter.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was used in Afghanistan and Iraq to ferry troops and equipment to remote bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2005, a CH-53E went down in bad weather in western Iraq, killing 30\u00a0Marines\u00a0and a sailor. At the time, it was the worst loss of life for the\u00a0Marines\u00a0since the 1983 bombing of a\u00a0Marine\u00a0barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed 220\u00a0Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Military officials said in 2005 that the model’s safety record was on par with other\u00a0Marine\u00a0Corps aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In April, a\u00a0Marine\u00a0Corps CH-53E had to make an emergency landing on a California beach after a low oil-pressure indicator light went on in the cockpit during training. It didn’t cause any damage or injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In March, a Black Hawk crashed in a thick fog during training off Florida, killing 11 service members. The military said two National Guard pilots became disoriented while switching from visual-based to instrument-based flight procedures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lewis, 31, a native of Warrenton, Virginia, was inside the helicopter when he was killed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":56743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[12,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[827],"class_list":["post-26834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UMH6DSX2DVHR5BAIUR2P3BPGHM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2015\/09\/04\/marines-identify-staff-sergeant-who-died-in-ch-53e-helicopter-mishap\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n