A U.S. Marine helicopter crashed in Kuwait Thursday, killing all 16 American and British soldiers aboard, military officials said. The crash of the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter killed 12 British and four U.S. soldiers, officials said. The helicopter was assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The helicopter crashed at 7:37 p.m. EST - Friday morning in Kuwait - about 9 miles away from the border with Iraq, military officials said. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the officials said, adding that hostile fire had not been reported in the area.

The Marines use the Sea Knight, a bus-like helicopter with two large rotors, to fly troops from ships at sea or base camps to forward positions.

The Navy and Marines grounded all 291 Sea Knight helicopters in August after an inspection of one helicopter in North Carolina found a crack in a rotor assembly. A Marine Corps CH-46 crashed in 2001, killing three Marines and injuring two.

CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter at a Glance

A look at the Marine CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter:

PRIMARY FUNCTION: Medium-lift assault helicopter

LENGTH: 84 feet, 4 inches

HEIGHT: 16 feet, 8 inches

SPEED: 166.75 mph

CEILING: Over 10,000 feet.

MANUFACTURER: Boeing Vertol

RANGE: 152 miles for assault mission

CREW: Normal: 4; Combat: 5

INTRODUCED: 1978

Source: U.S. Marine Corps

PHOTO CAPTION

All 16 members of the U.S. and British forces on board a U.S. CH-46 Sea Knight Marine helicopter that crashed in Kuwait were believed dead, becoming the first casualties of the militaries carrying out a war against Iraq, American defense officials said March 20, 2003. U.S. marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit run in a line to a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter during a drill in the Kuwaiti desert near Iraq in this February 23, 2003 file photo. REUTERS/Oleg Popov