Marines in Copter Crash Identified

The pilot of the Marine Corps helicopter that crashed during a routine training exercise over the weekend was identified Monday as Maj. Dennis Dogs of Mission Viejo.

The search for Dogs, 34, and three other Camp Pendleton Marines was called off late Sunday after an extensive sea search exhausted “all possible means of finding survivors,” Marine Staff Sgt. Glenn Holloway said Monday.

All four crewmen were presumed dead in the crash, about six miles off Oceanside, authorities said.

The others aboard were: Capt. Paul D. Barnes, 27, of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Cpl. Michael J. Tsoris, 21, of Racine, Wis.; and Lance Cpl. Rodolfo Guajardo, 21, of Beach Park, Ill.

Investigators recovered some debris and a portion of the fuselage of the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, a 45-foot double-engine aircraft that is among the oldest in the U.S. military, Holloway said, but there was no sign of the crew members.

The airmen had taken off from the San Diego-based Juneau about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, moments before the crash, investigators said.

“One pilot, a co-pilot and two crew members were on board,” Holloway said. “What we know is that they had just left the Juneau; the particulars of the incident, we don’t know yet.”

The crew was part of an El Toro Marine Corps Air Station helicopter squadron serving with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The men were preparing for a six-month deployment by practicing skills that typically involve transporting Marines in and out of combat zones, Holloway said.