KCBA - Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz - News Weather-Fallen Coast Guard plane was searching for boater
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Associated Press - October 30, 2009 6:14 PM ET
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Authorities say a collision between a Coast Guard plane and Marine Corps helicopter occurred while the plane searched for a boater lost at sea after trying to help a friend anchor her boat.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Donahue says the missing boater is David Jines, a 50-year-old resident of Santa Catalina Island.
He was last seen leaving the Avalon harbor Tuesday night on a motorized skiff, heading to help a friend who was having trouble holding anchor of her 57-foot vessel as strong winds blew into the region.
A Coast Guard C-130 searching for Jines collided with 1 of 4 Marine Corps helicopters Thursday night. The choppers were flying in formation to deliver troops to a training exercise on a military island.
Authorities are searching for nine people.
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