Members of presidential helicopter squadron among Marine crash victims
Investigators in anti-contamination suits inspect the wreckage of the MV-22 Osprey on Sunday in Arizona
MARANA, Arizona (CNN) -- Four of the 19 troops who died in the weekend crash of a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft were assigned to the unit that operates the helicopter called Marine One, used for short trips by President Clinton and past U.S. presidents, the White House said.
Some of the four were pilots, said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart. Pentagon officials said it was unlikely they had ever piloted Marine One, although the Pentagon could not rule out that possibility.
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CNN's Don Knapp reports on the investigation into the crash of the U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey in Arizona.
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The squadron, called Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), is based in Quantico, Virginia.
An investigation into the cause of the training mission crash began Sunday.
Officials said the Osprey, which takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane, suddenly pitched nose-first and crashed about 8 p.m. Saturday at an airport in Marana, about 25 miles north of Tucson.
A fire department spokesman told CNN the plane was engulfed in flames after hitting the ground. It crashed on airport property, but not in a landing area. No one on the ground was hurt.
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