U.S. Marine, a former Guam resident, killed in plane crash

A former Guam resident was killed earlier in the week along with three other men during a routine training mission in Colorado. 42-year-old U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Francisco I. Cortez, formerly of Dededo, and three other Marines were on board a twin engine UC-35d transport jet when it slammed into the ground east of Interstate 15, just one-and-a-half miles away from the Miramar Air Base.

The other Marines were identified as 44-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Peter Nicholson, the pilot of the jet; 46-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Robert Zeisler, the co-pilot; and 23-year-old Lance Corporal Jeremy Landroth. The men were assigned to the Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area which includes Miramar, Camp Pendleton and Yuma.

According to news wires, the crew was returning from a proficiency training mission intended to help them maintain their flying skills. The routine, four-and-a-half-hour flight took them from San Diego to Grand Junction, Colorado and back. Investigators meanwhile from the Marine Corps, the National Transportation Safety Board and aircraft maker Cessna are looking into how the incident occurred since there was no distress call made.

The aircraft, which is used to transport VIPs or cargo is equipped with a black box that could help in determining the exact cause of the accident. However there are no confirmations on whether the black box has been recovered.