Six marines assigned to Camp Pendleton and one Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., were killed while training in Yuma, according to the Arizona Republic. The accident occurred when two military helicopters crashed into each other on Wednesday night. Here is some more information about this tragedy.
* The exact details of what caused the crash are not known at the moment, but the weather was not thought to be a factor.
* The collision was between an AH-1W Cobra and a UH- 1Y Huey.
* The Cobra is used as an attack helicopter, while the Huey is used as a utility chopper, according to CNN.
* These helicopters were from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of Camp Pendleton.
* The crash occurred within the Yuma Training Range Complex at about 8 p.m.
* Within the Yuma training Range Complex, the crash was on the California and Arizona border within the Chocolate Mountains, according to the Associated Press.
* Training was taking place in order to prepare those Marines for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
* The training center in Arizona is especially useful to troops deploying to Afghanistan because its landscape is similar to Afghanistan's with a lot of rough desert areas, according to ABC News.
* Aviation accidents like this one are called Class A Mishaps by the Marine Corps, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
A Class A mishap is defined as $2 million or more in damage to aircrafts and where the accident causes a permanent total disability or a fatality, according to the Naval Safety Center.
The last Marine Class A Mishap took place on January 19, 2012 in Afghanistan when a helicopter crashed and caused six deaths.
When accidents like these happen, two investigations are usually started. One is to find out who is at fault and the other is to closely look at safety in order to fix any problems.
The identities of the seven Marines killed have not been released yet, pending notification of the next of kin.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma (MCAS)
* About 4,000 active duty Marines and Navy Sailors are stationed at the base, according to the My Base Guide.
* Eighty percent of the Marine's air to ground aviation training takes place here.
* Throughout the average year at MCAS Yuma, approximately 70 aviation units go through the training provided at the base.
* The Yuma Range Training Complex within the base, also known as the Bob Stump Training Complex is comprised of 1.2 million acres, according to the Yuma Range Management Department.
Lauren Finnegan graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a bachelor's degree in political science and has an insider's perspective on the military because of her role as a military wife who has lived around the country.
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