6 Killed as National Guard Copter Crashes in Cape Cod Fog

YARMOUTH, Mass. —  A National Guard helicopter crashed in dense fog early Saturday, killing all six crewmen and just missing homes in this Cape Cod tourist haven, authorities said.

The UH-1 Bell helicopter cut a 20-foot-wide path through the woods before crashing, throwing its doors, glass and other debris over a wide area. The cockpit was shattered beyond recognition.

Three victims were members of a Delaware Army National Guard unit from New Castle, Del.

Delaware Guard spokeswoman Terry Blevins identified them as 1st Lt. David Joseph Hendry, 26, and Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Bryan Pearce, 35, both of Wilmington, and Staff Sgt. Benjamin Robert Greenplate, 40, of Newark, Del.

Another victim was identified as Sgt. Ward Arthur Cornell, 43, of Mansfield, Conn., said Maj. Gen. John T. Gereski, Connecticut’s adjutant general.

The other two victims were from a Richmond, Va., unit, the 80th Maneuver Training Command, and were identified as Master Sgt. Robert E. Lucey Jr. of Emporia, Va., and Spec. Samuel K. May of Richmond, said Virginia Army Reserve spokeswoman Maj. Mari K. Eder.