CAMP FOSTER, Japan, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. investigators are blaming a maintenance failure for the crash of a Marine helicopter on the grounds of Okinawa International University.
The $14.5 million CH-53D Sea Stallion went down Aug. 13 because an exhausted maintenance crew had failed to reinstall a cotter pin on the aircraft, Stars and Stripes reported Saturday.
A Naval officer said the maintenance department "was working too many hours per day to remain sufficiently alert to competently perform the demanding, meticulous maintenance required to operate helicopters."
He recommended administrative action be taken against "those Marines responsible for failing to follow proper maintenance procedures leading to this mishap."
The Marines were preparing to deploy for duty in Iraq and had been putting in extended hours to make sure the choppers were ready. One member of the maintenance crew told investigators he had worked three consecutive 17-hour days.
Investigators praised the three-man crew for their quick action in avoiding a nearby residential community and a soccer field where children were playing and attempting to set the helicopter down on the university campus.
No civilians were injured, but the three-man crew suffered serious injuries in the crash.
