October 31, 2009 Search On For Collision Survivors

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By Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief

Although it seems unlikely that there were any survivors among the nine people missing in the collision of a Coast Guard C-130 and a Marine Corps AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter Thursday, the search continued through Friday. "We will continue to search as long as there is a chance of survivors," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph Castillo told reporters Friday. The tragedy may have just been pure bad luck. The Coast Guard crew was looking for a boater reported missing and the helicopter was one of a formation of four headed for night exercises at San Clemente Island. At about 7:10 p.m., another pilot in the area reported seeing a fireball.

There were seven people on the Herc and two on the helicopter. A debris field was located but as of late Friday there were no reports of survivors or bodies being found.