Five Marines have been confirmed dead following the fatal helicopter crash east of San Diego. A CH-53E Super Stallion crashed during a training flight from Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California.
On Wednesday morning in Pine Valley, a remote mountain community located within Cleveland National Forest – which covers an area covering 721 square miles with steep, rugged terrain -, was found a chopper that had crashed.
The Crash
Five Marines have been confirmed dead following the crash of a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter near San Diego during training flight, leaving Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas and headed toward Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Local authorities located it Wednesday near Pine Valley about an hour’s drive from San Diego; 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is leading search and rescue efforts along with Sheriff’s department and Civil Air Patrol; once their families have been informed of what occurred their identities will be released “according to military policy”, said press release.
Maj. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conveyed this news with great sorrow and profound sadness. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are also deeply devastated at this news, said Borgschulte.
Search Efforts
On Tuesday night, Marines flying from Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego lost contact with their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter during a storm in the mountains and it mysteriously vanished.
The area was covered in snow, prompting the National Weather Service in San Diego to warn of poor visibility and wind gusts. Marines were scheduled to land at the air station around 11:30 pm Tuesday according to their spokesman.
Civilian authorities conducted searches both on the ground and air Wednesday morning and were successful in finding the chopper near Pine Valley in Cuyamaca Mountains near San Diego, about one hour’s drive away. To date, their identities remain unknown.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing released a statement thanking local, state, and federal agencies for helping locate the crew members. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden sent their condolences to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361. The helicopter had been assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361.
Weather Conditions
Marines were traveling by CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego when it mysteriously disappeared Tuesday evening. This helicopter belonged to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing located at Miramar.
AccuWeather reported that visibility at the time of the accident had likely dropped below half a mile due to fog, according to its meteorological service.
Navy officials haven’t revealed how the crash took place. While an investigation is under way, Navy spokesman Cmdr. Tammy Teach stated Friday that no critical or life-threatening injuries occurred in this crash.
On Wednesday morning, officials reported a helicopter as overdue after it failed to appear at its destination and was reported overdue, according to officials. Last heard from in a mountainous and rugged region east of San Diego, local, state and federal agencies joined forces in searching the area in an attempt to locate it.
Remains
Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter when it vanished Tuesday evening as they returned from Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas, northwest of San Diego. Mike Cornette of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection informed CBS 8 that its last known location was 11:20 p.m.
In a statement issued by the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s commander, he expressed his profound sorrow over the passing of five exceptional Marines from its squadrons.
Authorities located the remains of Marines on Wednesday morning approximately one-hour outside San Diego in Pine Valley. A Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 member from Marine Aircraft Group 16 and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing was lost during an atmospheric river storm that brought snow and rain across much of Southern California. Their identities will not be released until their next-of-kin notifications have taken place; all were assigned to Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361.
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