In a somewhat unusual turn of events, the co-pilot (and lone survivor) of a 2010 Coast Guard helicopter crash has been charged with two counts of negligent homicide and other UCMJ violations.

[Lt. Lance] Leone was one of two pilots flying the MH-60 Jayhawk, which crashed off La Push. The crash killed all three other passengers on board.

In addition to the negligent homicide charges, Leone faces two counts of dereliction of duty and destruction of government property, Kip Wadlow, a Coast Guard spokesman, said.

The helicopter flew into power lines and crashed.

There are few other facts publicly available, but it seems Leone’s leadership feels his conduct was negligent and directly contributed to the deaths of his passengers.  Many such military incidents are generally classified as “accidents,” though blame is sometimes assigned (or accused) in certain cases.  For example:

• Earlier this year, Petty Officer Ian Howell pled guilty to dereliction of duty, resulting in negligent homicide charges being dropped in the death of an 8-year-old boy struck by the Coast Guard vessel.

• In 2002, Air Force F-16 pilots Majors Harry Schmidt and William Umbach were charged with manslaughter in the friendly fire deaths of four Canadians and the wounding of eight others when they dropped a bomb without authorization on a Canadian exercise in Afghanistan.  Umbach accepted a reprimand and retired; Schmidt was reprimanded for dereliction of duty.

• In 1998, US Marine Captains Richard Ashby and Joseph Schweitzer were found not guilty of similar charges after their EA-6B Prowler flew into and severed a cable car support, resulting in the deaths of 20 civilians in a gondola.  They were dismissed from the Marines after being found guilty of conduct unbecoming for destroying a tape of the incident.

• In 1994, Lt. Col. Randy W. May was charged with negligent homicide in the friendly fire shootdown of two Blackhawks over Iraq.  The convening authority chose not to court martial, though the Air Force Chief of Staff later put punitive letters in their files over the incident.