Summary: A flight of HR2S helicopters departed NAS Santa Ana for NAS El Centro for a combination Familiarization and Rough Area Landing flight. Once over the mountains near Coyote Wells, the pilot proceeded to fly at 1,300 feet over the terrain to search for a suitable landing spot. After identifying a potential spot, he asked the copilot what the ground looked like below the right landing gear. The copilot stated the terrain was composed of large rocks and not feasible for a landing spot. While hovering over the slope the pilot rotated the aircraft 70 degrees to the right to search for a more suitable spot, and when none was found, he rotated back to the left. At this time a sudden loss of RPM was experienced and the pilot attempted to fly the helicopter down the mountain in an attempt to trade altitude for airspeed and RPM. The right landing gear struck a rocky ledge followed by the tail wheel and rotor. The helicopter rolled down a rocky ledge before finally coming to a stop where it subsequently caught on fire. The pilot and copilot escaped the wreckage with injuries while the two crewmen died in the crash. The wreckage was left in place until it was later salvaged for its aluminum in the 1960's.

Pilot- Major John Curd/ Copilot- 1st Lt. William Ross/ Crewmen Cpl. Cecil Carter & Cpl. Adolph Foyt.

The HR2S-1 was the largest helicopter when it was first delivered in 1956. It was powered by two, 2,100 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 double wasp radial engines that gave a it a maximum speed of 132 mph, ceiling of 8,700 feet and a range of 145 with the maximum payload of 11,000 pounds. It could carry 3 jeeps or 26 troops. The HR2S-1 is a rare helicopter in that only 55 were built for the Marine Corps before the contract was cancelled.