The Camp Pendleton helicopter pilot killed in an Imperial County crash on Oct. 16 was a 35-year-old California native, the Marines said Monday.
Maj. Tyler Braconi was attached to Marine Light Attack (HMLA) Helicopter Squadron 369 at Camp Pendleton.
Lt. Col. Christopher Hart, the commanding officer of HMLA-369, called Braconi a brave aviator.
"We join the family of Maj. Tyler Braconi in mourning the unimaginable loss of a loved one," Hart said in a statement. "Our most valued asset is our people, the individual Marine, and Tyler was one of the greats."
Braconi and an unidentified co-pilot left Camp Pendleton Thursday to participate in training with the Weapons Tactics Instructor Course being held at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, the Marines said in a statement.
Braconi's AH-1Z Viper crashed in an unpopulated area about 40 miles north-east of El Centro, the Marines said.
The second pilot was taken to a Palm Springs hospital and was in stable condition.
The AH-1Z Viper is the latest variant of the Marine Corps' attack helicopter. It's a modernized attack version of the workhorse Vietnam War-era UH-1 Huey.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
