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Aviation Safety Network

Date: 19-JAN-2012
Time: 23:58
Type:
Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion

Owner/operator: HMH-363 USMC
Registration: 157174
C/n / msn: 65-300
Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants:
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Helmand Province - Afghanistan

Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
A helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan has killed six NATO troops, according to news reports.

The crash involved a U.S. Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion of HMH-363 "Red Lions". A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said six died in the crash. Neither the number nor the nationalities of those on board have been confirmed.
Update at 8:13 p.m. ET: The six troops who died were U.S. Marines, NBC News reports.

The helicopter crashed about midnight local time (2:30 p.m. Eastern) in Helmand province. The cause of the crash is not known. The spokesman said there was no enemy activity in the area at the time.

The release did not say how many were on the helicopter, or if any others were injured.

All the Marine Corps' Vietnam War-era Sea Stallion helicopters are based out of Kaneohe Bay. Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 out of Hawaii deployed to Afghanistan in August, replacing another Hawaii unit, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii referred questions to U.S. Central Command in Florida, which has command responsibility for Afghanistan. Officials there were not immediately able to provide more information.

Source: Aviation Safety Network
Submitted by: Alan H Barbour, Historian, Researcher, USMC Combat Helicopter Association, 20141204

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Official DOD information

The Defense Department on Saturday identified the six Marines killed earlier this week in a helicopter crash in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The Marines were identified as:

• Capt. Daniel B. Bartle, 27, of Ferndale, Wash. The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that Bartle was a recent graduate of the Naval Academy.

• Capt. Nathan R. McHone, 29, of Crystal Lake, Ill.

• Master Sgt. Travis W. Riddick, 40, of Centerville, Iowa.

• Cpl. Jesse W. Stites, 23, of North Beach, Md.

• Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard, 25, of Colonia, N.J.

• Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, of Willis, Texas.

The Marines died Thursday when their helicopter went down in Helmand. The Taliban claimed it shot down a helicopter Thursday, but coalition forces said there is no indication the helicopter was hit by enemy fire.

German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the NATO coalition in Kabul, said Friday that officials were looking at a “technical fault” as the possible culprit.

“The helicopter is one of the safest forms of transport,” Jacobson said.

The Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

HMH-363’s “Red Lions” deployed to Afghanistan in August, replacing Hawaii’s HMH-463. The squadrons have performed medium-lift missions, ferrying troops and equipment around the battlefield.

Lt. Col. Mark Revor, commander of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, confirmed in a statement Friday that the Marines were from HMH-363.

Submitted by: Alan H Barbour, Historian, 20141204

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Fox News Report

Published January 19, 2012
FoxNews.com
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U.S. military sources tell Fox News that a Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday.
Six American Marines who were members of the International Security Assistance Force were killed in the crash, however, the military is still gathering details about the incident.
No enemy activity was reported in the area at the time of the crash, Fox News reported. It is not yet clear what caused the chopper to go down.
The ISAF has secured the crash site.

Source: Fox News
Submitted by: Alan H Barbour, Historian, Researcher, USMC Combat Helicopter Association, 20141204

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"Naval Academy grad killed in Afghanistan"

Naval Academy grad killed in Afghanistan
One of six fatalities in helicopter crash

Capt. Daniel B. Bartle, a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who was killed in Afghanistan on Thursday

Capt. Daniel B. Bartle, a 2006 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy… (Baltimore Sun )
January 21, 2012|By Peter Hermann, The Baltimore Sun

A 2006 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Thursday, the Marine Corps has confirmed. The 27-year-old was one of six Marines who died in the accident.

The Pentagon identified him as Marine Corps Capt. Daniel B. Bartle of Ferndale, Wash. A brief biography provided by officials at his base in Kaneohe, Hawaii, lists him as a pilot for the squadron called the "Red Lions," but it was unclear whether he was at the controls when the Vietnam-era CH-53 Sea Stallion went down in Helmand province.

"Men of humility and honor are rare in this world. Daniel lived these values every single day and inspired others to do the same," said a statement from Bartle's older brother, John. "He was a loving son, brother, uncle and friend, and though his death saddens us greatly, we are finding consolation in all the love, laughter and joy that he gave to those who were fortunate enough to know him."

Marine Corps Base Hawaii said Bartle reported for duty with Squadron 363 in July 2011, and he was on his second deployment to Afghanistan when he died. The Pentagon said Bartle's commendations included two Air Medals, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and a National Defense Service Medal.

While at the academy, Bartle majored in electrical engineering, minored in Spanish and competed on the power lifting team, John Bartle said. He decided to apply to the academy after serving as a congressional page during high school, his brother said.

A spokesman for the Naval Academy was unable to provide information about Bartle on Saturday, and could not say how many graduates have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense said Saturday that another Marine who died in Thursday's crash was from North Beach, Calvert County. They identified him as Cpl. Jesse W. Stites, 23, and said he had enlisted in 2009 and had been on his second deployment to Afghanistan.

But his father-in-law, Mark L. Schwalenberg, who lives in Idaho, said Stites grew up in Florida and went to high school there. Schwalenberg said Stites never lived in Maryland. There is no record of a Stites in North Beach, and the town's mayor, Mark Frazier, said he knew no one by that name.

Officials from the NATO-led coalition said a cause of the crash is under investigation, but that they were examining a possible "technical fault." They said there were no enemy troops in the area at the time. It was the worst crash in terms of deaths since 30 American personnel, including 22 Navy SEAL commandos, died in a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan in August.

The Marines who died were assigned to Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 with the Marine Expeditionary Force. Primary duties in Afghanistan included transporting troops, food and supplies. Others who died were identified as Capt. Nathan R. McHone, 29, of Illinois, Master Sgt. Travis W. Riddick, 40, of Iowa, Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard, 25, of New Jersey, and Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, of Texas.

Riddick's father told the Des Moines Register that his son had done three tours of duty in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, and had served in the president's helicopter squadron, flying with Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Source: The Baltimore Sun
Submitted by: Alan H Barbour, Research Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Association, 20141206

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