A Marine training exercise in the Southern California desert turned out to be a fatal one for two pilots who died when their helicopter crashed on Friday.

The two, remembered on Sunday, flew a UH-1Y Huey helicopter from the Twentynine Palms Marine base. Killed by the aerial mishap were Capt. Elizabeth Kealey and 1^st Lt. Adam Satterfield, reports CBS.

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The pair are outstanding Marine officers and talented chopper pilots, said Lt. Col. James Isaacs, the commander of the two Marines.

"Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of our fallen Vipers, and we stand poised to support them in this tragedy," said Isaacs.

Thirty-two-year-old Kealey, who was from Indiana, Pennsylvania, joined the Marines in 2005 and in her decade-long stint was given several medals and awards. Her assignments included being deployed with the 13^th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Twenty-five-year-old Satterfied from Oldham, Kentucky, joined the organization in 2011 and was assigned to training operations in Southern California, although the two were based at Camp Pendleton.

A probe is ongoing to determine the cause of the accident and to narrow it if there was pilot error or a mechanical problem.

The Twentynine Palms combat center had two accidents in 2013. In fall, an Amphibious Assault Vehicle burned, injuring four Marines. A bulldozer mishap killed a 20-year-old private the same year.

In other Marine centers, the worst accident in 2013 was the explosion of a 60mm mortar round at the Hawthorne Army Depot in March. Failure to follow proper procedures in handling ammunition killed seven and injured eight Marines from the 1s Battalion, 9^th Maries in North Carolina.

TagsHelicopter crash, Elizabeth Kealey, Adam Satterfield, Twentynine Palms, U.S. Marine