New details on D.C. plane crash

Lt. Lance Leone, the co-pilot aboard Coast Guard helicopter 6017 on July 7, 2010 when it struck some wires between the mainland and an island near La Push, Washington, was charged with negligent homicide and destruction of government property, and dereliction of duty.

Those charges have been dropped.

The crash killed the chopper’s pilot, Lt. Sean Krueger, along with Aviation Maintenance Technicians Brett Banks and Adam Hoke. The charges had been levied in accordance with the strict culture of discipline and accountability. The inherent danger of Coast Guard operations is a given, but the three fatalities warranted a full investigation.

Lt. Lance Leone hopes to be in retraining soon in accordance with the Coast Guard mission, pass retraining, and securing a new Coast Guard assignment flying and rescuing.

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