FORMER BLOOMFIELD MAN DIES IN MILITARY HELICOPTER CRASH

BLOOMFIELD -- A former Bloomfield area man was among seven Navy fliers who were killed Friday when the helicopter they were in exploded and crashed in Lynnhaven Bay at Virginia Beach, Va.

The man was identified as Randall L. "Randy" Vandiver, 36, of Virginia Beach.

The son of Grady and Bertie Vandiver of Bloomfield Route 1, Vandiver graduated from Bloomfield High School.

He was an aviation maintenance administration chief.

A spokeswoman for Chiles-Cooper Funeral Home in Bloomfield said the body will be flown to St. Louis today and then transported to the funeral home.

Friends may call at the funeral chapel from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday. Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral chapel, with full military rites. Burial will be in Bloomfield Cemetery.

Authorities have said it will take months to sort through the wreckage of the Navy helicopter to determine the cause of the crash.

It was the deadliest military aircraft accident in the Hampton Roads region, home to the world's largest Navy base.

All seven crewmen died when the Sikorsky H-53 chopper exploded minutes after it took off from Oceana Naval Air Station. The explosion scattered parts of the helicopter over an area 150 to 300 yards long, said Cmdr. Stephen Honda, a Navy spokesman.

"There are certain parts of the helicopter you want to focus on," he said. "The key parts when you are investigating a helicopter accident are the transmission, rotor head, the blade, engine and tail rotor."

The helicopter was not carrying any explosives or live ammunition. The helicopter belonged to Mine Countermeasures Squadron 18, a reserve unit at the Norfolk Naval Air Station.

Witnesses reported a series of explosions shortly before the helicopter went down at 1:43 p.m. Friday.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and United Press International.