Probe: Black Hawk pilots disobeyed orders in crash that killed 11
NEW ORLEANS -- An investigation of a Black Hawk helicopter crash in March that killed all 11 service members on board - including seven special operations Marines - shows the Louisiana National Guard pilots in the training mission disobeyed direct orders by choosing to fly into worsening weather conditions.
In June, the military said the crash was caused when the pilots became disoriented during the night-time training mission off the Florida coast on March 10.
The Black Hawk crashed as Marines and National Guardsmen practiced "insertion and extraction missions," using small boats and helicopters to get troops into and out of a target site, Capt. Barry Morris, spokesman for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune told CBS in March.
Fog had reduced visibility to less than two miles at the time, according to the National Weather Service.
The helicopter sank in 25-feet of water in a channel of the Santa Rosa Sound along Florida's Panhandle.
Another helicopter returned safely to base.
The full report, obtained by The Associated Press late Thursday, said the pilots were not authorized to fly in such bad weather conditions and that others on the training mission failed to challenge the over-confidence of the lead pilot.