UPDATE: Va. woman hopeful son survived military crash off Calif. coast

CREWE — A Virginia woman isn’t giving up hope that her son survived a collision between a Coast Guard aircraft and a Marine Corps helicopter.

The Coast Guard says 28-year-old Adam Bryant of Crewe is among the nine people missing at sea following Thursday’s crash off the Southern California coast. Bryant was co-pilot of the Coast Guard C-130.

His mother, Nina Bryant, says she’s “hoping and praying” the victims will be found alive. She told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Saturday: “You never know. Miracles happen.“

Bryant describes her son as smart and athletic — a former basketball and baseball player and honor society member at the private Kenston Forest School in Blackstone. She says he decided to make the Coast Guard his career after graduating from its academy and completing his mandatory enlistment.

In addition to Bryant, the Coast Guard and Marines today identified the following crew members of the two aircraft:

The missing crew members from the Coast Guard C-130 are all stationed in Sacramento, Calif., where their aircraft was based. They are:

— Lt. Cmdr. Che J. Barnes, 35, Capay, Calif., aircraft commander.

— Lt. Adam W. Bryant, 28, Crewe, Va., co-pilot.

— Chief Petty Officer John F. Seidman, 43, Stockton, Calif., flight engineer.

— Petty Officer 2nd Class Carl P. Grigonis, 35, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, navigator.

— Petty Officer 2nd Class Monica L. Beacham, 29, Decaturville, Tenn., radio operator.

— Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason S. Moletzsky, 26, Norristown, Pa., air crew.

— Petty Officer 3rd Class Danny R. Kreder II, 22, Elm Mott, Texas, drop master.

The missing crew members from the Marine Corps helicopter are:

— Maj. Samuel Leigh, 35, Kennebec, Maine.

— 1st Lt. Thomas Claiborne, 26, Douglas, Colo.