Seven Plane Crash Victims From Camp Lejeune

CHARLOTTE, NC — Tonight, Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered flags to fly at half-staff Wednesday in honor of the 16 U.S. Troops killed in a plane crash in Mississippi.

Seven of the victims were stationed in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune.

Officials are still notifying family members of the deaths. So, they have not released names as of Tuesday night.

The plane took off from Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point in Craven County Monday.

That’s in the Eastern part of North Carolina.

It crashed in LeFlore County, Mississippi.

This is the deadliest Marine crash anywhere in the world in more than a decade.

The Marine Corps of Special Operations Command says the seven based at Camp Lejeune were part of an elite special operations unit, the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion.

Crews were still gathering evidence in a scorched soybean field Tuesday.

“Smoke was coming off one of the sides of the wing.” said one witness, Andy Jones.
Jones called 911.

“It was totally engulfed in flames. One of the most aggressive fires you can imagine. That fast,” said Jones.

Investigators say nine service members flew out of Stewart Air National Guard base in New York. They picked up the six marines and a sailor based at Camp Lejeune at Cherry Point, NC.

The Marine Corps Special Operations Command says those seven Camp Lejeune Raiders were heading to Yuma, Arizona for pre-deployment training.

The plane plunged 20,000 feet to the ground in the Mississippi Delta around 5:00 Monday afternoon.
The crash site is 85 miles North of Jackson, Mississippi.

“We’re still notifying next of kin,” said Maj. Andrew Aranda, Public Affairs Officer, Marine Forces Reserve. “Still pending all of that. We want to give those families all the time they need during this difficult time so they can get all the support they need.”

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper released a statement saying, “…this tragedy is a reminder that they serve at home and abroad every minute of every day.”

Sen. Richard Burr also released a statement saying, “Every day, our bravest men and women put their lives on the line to ensure our freedoms.
I’m heartbroken that this tragic event has happened, and I stand with the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy as they mourn the losses of their own.