ARMY HELICOPTER CRASHES IN FLORIDA

USPA NEWS - Seven Marines and four soldiers were presumed dead Wednesday, a day after the Army helicopter that was carrying them went down in foggy conditions during a training exercise near Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle.

"All we can say at this time is that some human remains have washed ashore, and we have also recovered some aircraft parts," an Eglin spokesman, Mike Spaits, said. “Right now, the fog is hampering our cause, and there is an ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the crash." "It is a search and recover mission,“ Mr. Spaits said. All 11 on the helicopter are presumed dead, a Pentagon official said.
About a dozen airmen wearing fatigues walked shoulder to shoulder down the beach, scanning the sand. Searchers with dogs joined them, along with area law enforcement and rescue crews.

The Marines were part of a special operations regiment from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and the four soldiers, the aircrew, were members of the National Guard´s 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion out of Hammond, La., an Eglin spokeswoman, Sara Vidoni, said. They were conducting the training mission at one of the base´s range sites just east of Navarre Beach when the helicopter disappeared at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.