Large Debris Field Found in Aftermath of Crash Between Coast Guard C-130 Plane and Marine AH-1 Cobra Helicopter Southern California Coast, Nine People Missing

URGENT:  A large debris field has been found and a search and rescue mission has been launched following the collision of a Coast Guard plane and a Marine helicopter off the southern California coast. Nine people are believed to have plunged into the water after the mid-air collision, a Coast Guard spokesman said. The assumption is that there may be survivors, but the longer it takes to find any survivors the likelihood that there will be casualties.

According to media reports, a Coast Guard C-130 plane and its seven crew members had been searching for a missing person when it collided with a Marine AH-1 Cobra helicopter on a military training exercise, Farris said. The helicopter had a two-member crew. A pilot reported seeing a fireball about 7:10 p.m. Thursday near the crash site off San Diego, California's, coast.
Coast Guard cutters, small boats and helicopters searched the area all night with help from the U.S. Navy. With the water temperatures in the 60s, it is estimated that survivability could be up to 20 hours. The Coast Guard plane had been on a search mission for a couple of days before Thursday's collision.

Photo credit:  Crash site, CNN