boeing ch-46d sea knight helicopter (154790)

BOEING CH-46D SEA KNIGHT HELICOPTER (REGISTRATION: 154790)
During a USN "Fast Rope" training exercise, a Boeing-Vertol CH-46D Sea Knight, BuNo 154790, c/n 2397, helicopter of HMM-166 departs the USS Bonhomme Richard and approaches the fantail landing pad of the USNS Pecos, cruising ≈15 miles (24 km) WSW of Point Loma, California at 1316 hrs. The port rear landing gear leg of the helicopter snags a safety net on the deck edge and the chopper tips backwards into the Pacific, sinking within five seconds. Eleven of 18 on board escape and are picked up by Navy SEALS following the USNS Pecos in zodiac boats. The bodies of six U.S. Marines and one U.S. Navy corpsman, from the 1st Force Recon, 5th Platoon, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, California, are recovered from a depth of 3,600 feet.