–15-19 The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “19 Killed in Crash of Copter.” 5-6-1985, p. 2.

— 17 Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.”

— 17 Baugher. “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (156170 to 160006).”

— 17 LA Times. “A Ritual Repeated Too Often: 4 Tustin Marines Mourned…” 7-18-1985.

— 17 LA Times. “It’s Getting Worse’: Copter Victim’s Tape Detailed Craft’s Faults.” 5-14-‘86

— 17 The News, Frederick, MD. “Hunt Ends for Crash Survivors.” 5-7-1985, p. 1.

— 17 USMC History Div. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1985.”

Narrative Information

Aviation Forum: “6 May 1985: In Kagoshima Prefecture, south of Yakushima Island, a USMC CH-53D crashed into the sea, while returning to Futenma AB from Iwakuni AB, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It belonged to the 462nd Helicopter Squadron, 36th Wing, 1st Group, USMC, based at Futenma AB. 17 killed.” (Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.”)

Baugher: “Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion….157138 (HMH-462) crashed into Pacific Ocean off Kyushu Island May 6, 1985. 17 occupants killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (156170 to 160006).”

USMC: “6 May – A CH-53D Sea Stallion from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 crashed off the island of Yakushima in the Sea of Japan. All 17 Marines on board were presumed dead after a day-long search. The helicopter was en route from Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, in central Japan, where it participated in a Friendship Day celebration, to its home base on Okinawa when the crash occurred.” (USMC History Division. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1985.”)

Newspapers

May 6, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — A U.S. military helicopter with 19 people aboard plunged into the ocean off southern Japan today and there were believed to be no survivors, the Maritime Safety Agency said.

“In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Maj. Peter Hefler, said the Marine Corps helicopter apparently was returning from Japan to the Marine Corps base on Okinawa. He said between 15 and 19 men were believed aboard. “I haven’t got anything as to their fate, but it does not look, as if there were survivors;” he said. Marine spokesman Capt. Mark Hough said the number on board was in the “high teens.” A U.S. Marine spokesman in Okinawa also said an initial search found no survivors.

“The Japanese Maritime Safety Agency reported that the helicopter, traveling from the U.S. Marine base at Iwakuni, about 431 miles southwest of Tokyo, to the U.S. Marine base at Futemma in Okinawa, crashed at 12:50 p.m. today (11:50 p.m. Sunday).

“Captain Dan Trout, spokesman at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, could not confirm the number of victims and did not know if they were all Americans. He read the following statement to The Associated Press ‘A CH-53D helicopter from the First Marine Aircraft wing went down in the Pacific Ocean about 15 miles south of the Japanese island of Yakushima early this afternoon. A search of the area is being conducted at this time by both Japanese and U.S. rescue teams. No survivors have been reported rescued’.” (The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “19 Killed in Crash of Copter.” 5-6-1985, p. 2.)

May 7, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — The U.S. military today abandoned the search for survivors of the crash of a Marine Corps helicopter off southern Japan, saying the 17 U.S. Marines on board were missing and presumed dead. An overnight search by Japanese patrol boats yielded only small amounts of debris, including some personal items and an unopened 12-man life raft. Japanese officials said they probably would call off their search soon, also.

“The Marine Corps command on Okinawa, where the victims were based, issued a statement today saying: “An accompanying helicopter witnessed the impact and observed that there were no survivors. All aboard are missing and presumed dead.”

“The casualties were the highest involving U.S. military personnel in the area since March 1984, when another Marine Corps CH-53D helicopter crashed into a Korean mountainside during military exercises, killing 18 Okinawa-based Marines and 11 Koreans.

“A Marine Corps officer at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, who asked not to be identified, said U.S. rescue aircraft essentially quit the search late Monday because, “We knew they were all dead.” Lt Col. John Toner, a U.S. Air Force public affairs officer at Kadena, said officials decided to call off the search after finding so little debris in the crash area, about 15 miles off the southern Japan island of Yakushima, after a 24-hour period of constant surveillance.

“The big Sikorsky helicopter is a workhorse model used for carrying cargo and troops, and is similar to those used in the disastrous attempt to rescue the American hostages from Tehran in 1980.

“The Marine helicopter went down while on a flight from Iwakuni, a Marine Corps air station in southwestern Japan, to another Marine base in Futemma, Okinawa, early Monday afternoon. It was accompanied by a second CH-53D helicopter on the flight. According to Lt. Gary Shront a public affairs officer at the U.S. Navy Base at Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, the pilot reported by radio that he was experiencing mechanical problems and was turning back to Iwakuni. This was followed by an emergency call.

“A Marine Corps news release said the crew of the second helicopter saw the crash, dropped a life raft and blue dye marker, and remained on the scene until relieved by rescue aircraft from a Maritime Self-Defense Force base.

“Satoshi Imbayashi, a maritime safety official, said earlier that the second helicopter also saw a man floating face down in the water and another man clutching a fuel tank, who then disappeared. But Shrout said the second helicopter spotted only an oil slick, and Marine spokesman Capt. Dan Trout, based at Kadena, said no details on what the second helicopter saw were available.” (The News, Frederick, MD. “Hunt Ends for Crash Survivors.” 5-7-1985, p. 1.)

May 14, LA Times: “May 6, 1985: A Ch-53D experiences apparent transmission failure and falls into Sea of Japan, killing 17. Accident under investigation.” (LA Times. “`It’s Getting Worse’: Copter Victim’s Tape Detailed Craft’s Faults.” 5-14-1986.)

July 18, LA Times: “11 Tustin-based Marines,[1] were among those killed in the May 6 crash of a Sea Stallion helicopter that plunged into the sea off southern Japan, killing all 17 aboard.” (LA Times. “A Ritual Repeated Too Often: 4 Tustin Marines Mourned; Base Copter Toll Grows.” 7-18-1985.)

Sources

Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.” Accessed 6-27-2016 at: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=43214

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (156170 to 160006). 11-7-2011 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries20.html

Los Angeles Times. “A Ritual Repeated Too Often: 4 Tustin Marines Mourned; Base Copter Toll Grows.” 7-18-1985. http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-18/local/me-7264_1_ch-53e-super-stallion-helicopter

Los Angeles Times. “`It’s Getting Worse’: Copter Victim’s Tape Detailed Craft’s Faults.” 5-14-1986. At: http://articles.latimes.com/1986-05-14/local/me-5469_1_marine-corps-super-stallion-helicopter/2

The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “19 Killed in Crash of Copter.” 5-6-1985, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5525584

The News, Frederick, MD. “Hunt Ends for Crash Survivors,” 5-7-1985, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=32681256

United States Marine Corps History Division, Reference Branch. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1985.” http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Chronologies/Yearly/1985.htm

[1] Tustin Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, CA.

1985 — May 6, USMC CH-53D Helicopter Crash in Sea of Japan off Yakushima, Japan–17