An aging Marine Corps CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter crashed March 29 in Kaneohe Bay as a result of a "catastrophic mechanical failure," a portion of the official investigation concluded.

Cpl. Jonathan D. Faircloth, 22, who had survived combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was killed, and three other crew members were injured, after the 88-foot-long helicopter made a "hard impact" landing from an altitude of about 300 feet while on a night training flight, the Marine Corps said.

According to a Field Flight Performance Board investigation conducted by the Marines and obtained by the Star-Advertiser through the Freedom of Information Act, the crew’s reaction to the mechanical failure was consistent with naval air training procedures.

The board investigation is used to determine the future flying status of crew members.

Then-Brig. Gen. William Beydler, commander of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, made the determination July 18. He said the crew’s actions were "exceptional in execution given the severity of malfunction and the operating environment."

The crew actions required "no further action," and the members were to be returned to flight operations "as soon as they are medically cleared," Beydler said.

The Sea Stallion was on a routine training flight and had flown the day before with no problems. The air crew was wearing night vision goggles and was approaching the visual checkpoint known as "Buoy" when both pilots noticed a master caution light warning.

The aircraft was flying normally, but the crew decided to return to base as a precaution. The big helicopter experienced a "violent and un-commanded" movement forward and left, causing a slightly nose-low attitude and 70-degree bank, according to the report.

Three crewmen were injured in the crash: Maj. Clinton J. Collins, the pilot; Capt. Kevin F. Hayles, the co-pilot; and Cpl. Ronnie E. Brandafino, crew chief.

The names of the pilots are blacked out in the Field Flight Performance Board report provided to the Star-Advertiser, but had been released earlier.

Before the chopper hit the Kaneohe Bay sandbar, ending up on its side, the report said one of the pilots fought to regain control while making a "Mayday" call.

"After a short period, hydraulic pressure was restored and control of the aircraft was regained temporarily," the investigation said.

One of the pilots eventually was able to overcome the "violent environment."

"Over the course of the next few minutes, the aircraft experienced the same system malfunctions a couple more times with each incident recovering, temporarily, at a lower altitude than before until finally making impact on a coral reef in shallow water," the report said.

The helicopter, part of the Kaneohe-based Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 "Red Lions," left the base a little after 7 p.m. for training. The crash occurred at 7:20 p.m., officials said.

The crew’s knowledge of aircraft systems, emergency and flight procedures were found to be above average for pilots and crew of their qualifications and experience.

Faircloth, who was from Mechanicsburg, Pa., lived on base with his wife, Alicia.

Faircloth’s father, Dean, said by phone from Pennsylvania in May that "nobody did anything (wrong). Nobody failed at their job."

His son, an aerial observer, helped maintain the big single-rotor chopper and had attained every maintenance qualification possible.

"They were at the zenith of ability," Faircloth said at the time. "They were all taking care of these planes really well, so it would have had to have been, in my knowledge, something that they wouldn’t have had any way to detect. There were no complaints about lack of parts or anything."

Brandafino is no longer with HMH-363 and has been transferred to a Wounded Warrior battalion, Marine Corps officials said. Collins also is no longer with the squadron, but is on-island, working for Marine Aircraft Group 24. Hayles remains with the squadron and is deployed to Afghanistan.

The board investigation does not explain the reasons for the mechanical failure. A separate Judge Advocate General investigation was "under review" in late October, the Marine Corps said.

The twin-engined CH-53D first flew in 1964 and became operational in 1966, according to the Navy. In the mid-1990s the Marine Corps consolidated all its remaining Sea Stallions at Kaneohe Bay.

It is now used as a medium-lift helicopter. The Marines have started to swap out the older CH-53Ds with the newer CH-53E Super Stallion, a more powerful three-engine variant that fulfills a heavy-lift role.

MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft also are slated to replace some of the CH-53D Sea Stallions. All of the remaining Sea Stallions at Kaneohe Bay are expected to be retired within the next year, officials said.