The crash happened at around 8 p.m. and involved an AH-1W Cobra carrying two crew members and a UH-1 Huey utilityhelicopter with the other five service members from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Lt.
The UH-1Y, which is replacing the aging version of the Huey utilityhelicopter first used during the Vietnam War, carries a crew of one or two pilots, a crew chief and other crew members, depending on the mission.
Power lines and utility wires are virtually impossible to see from the air and account for many helicopter crashes each year when a pilot inadvertently flies into them.