The US Marine Corps has verified the demise of five Marines following the helicopter crash in Southern California. The incident occurred as the aircraft was en route back from a training session in Nevada, crashing in the Santa Ana mountains, just under thirty minutes away from its intended landing site. The search efforts for the crew were hindered by severe weather conditions.
On February 7, a US Marine CH-53E helicopter, engaged in a training mission at Creech Air Force Base close to Las Vegas, embarked on its journey back to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Departing Creech for the 260-mile trip late in the evening, the aircraft transmitted its final message approximately at 11:30 pm. By 1:00 am, it was declared overdue, prompting Miramar to reach out to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office to coordinate a search operation.
Law enforcement attempted to deploy their own helicopter to search for the lost Super Stallion, but adverse weather conditions, including a severe storm, compelled them to cancel the operation. On the morning of February 8, search teams comprising personnel from the sheriff’s office, US Forest Service, Civil Air Service, and various other agencies, located the downed helicopter in Pine Valley, situated approximately 4,000 feet above sea level.
Initially, the search teams did not locate the crew, and despite challenging winter weather conditions, the search persisted until Thursday morning. Regrettably, the bodies of all five marines were eventually discovered. Later that day, Miramar issued an official statement confirming the demise of the aircrew; however, the names were not disclosed. This aligns with the standard USMC protocol of withholding the names of deceased marines until at least 24 hours after informing the next of kin.
This marks the second deadly accident involving a USMC aircraft within a span of two months. In December, a CV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan, resulting in the loss of all eight individuals on board. The CH-53E, recognized as a heavy-lift helicopter, has been utilized by the Marine Corps since 1981. Although the Corps currently operates approximately 150 of these helicopters, they are gradually being phased out in favor of the CH-53K model, which is simpler and more powerful.
