| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Marine Super Stallion helicopter lands on golf course
Tuesday April 15, 2003ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) A Marine Corps Air Station Miramar helicopter landed Tuesday at a public golf course when the pilot noticed an unspecified mechanical problem during a training exercise, the U.S. Marine Corps said.
None of the 19 people aboard the CH-53E Super Stallion, the largest helicopter flown by the U.S. military, was hurt, said Staff Sgt. April Tuggle.
The pilots of the helicopter are assigned to HMM-163 Reinforced, a composite Marine aviation combat helicopter squadron. A Marine news release described Tuesday's event as ``a precautionary landing.''
The helicopter landed on the second hole of the Encinitas Ranch Golf Course, about 25 miles north of San Diego, at around 10:30 a.m.
A golf course worker described the helicopter's landing as ``gentle'' and said once the helicopter was removed workers refurbished the green.
The helicopter is part of the Camp Pendleton-based 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and was headed to the Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms for exercises, Tuggle said.
Military officials were investigating the source of the malfunction.
The Super Stallion has crashed seven times, killing 20, since its introduction in 1981. The Marines have grounded their entire fleet of Super Stallions twice during the past seven years after fatal crashes exposed problems with a key part that connects the rotor to the mainframe.
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