Ga. woman: son among 7 killed in helicopter crash

ATLANTA (AP) A U.S. Marine from Georgia is among the dead after an aviation training accident that killed seven Marines, his mother said Friday.

Lance Cpl. Corey Little, 25, of Fayetteville was a Huey helicopter crew chief who died in the crash this week in California, Wanda Little said.

``He loved his country,'' she said. ``He was married, and was expecting his first child in September.''

It could take weeks to determine what caused two helicopters, an AH-1W Cobra and a UH-1 Huey, to crash in midair during a routine exercise Wednesday night, killing all aboard the aircraft, officials said. Skies were clear and the weather was mild.

Wanda Little said her son graduated from Sandy Creek High School in 2004 and played baseball while growing up in Fayetteville, just south of Atlanta.

``He loved the outdoors,'' she said in a telephone interview. ``He loved to read. He was a very avid reader.''

He leaves behind his wife, Nicole Little. The couple lived in the San Marcos, Calif., area near the base where he was stationed, his mother said.

The accident was one of the Marines' deadliest aviation training accidents in years.