A search is still underway for the five Marines who were on board a helicopter that went missing en route from Nevada to California on Tuesday night, the service said.
A CH-53E Super Stallion heavy lift helicopter departing from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, was overdue on Wednesday morning at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, the Marine Corps said in a statement Wednesday. Authorities found the helicopter in Pine Valley, California, at 9:08 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
“The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is managing search and rescue efforts” with ground and air assets to find the missing crew members, the statement read. The sheriff’s department and other federal, state and local agencies are also assisting in the search.
The Marine Corps requested help from local officials around 2 a.m. Wednesday, saying the aircraft’s last known location was Cleveland National Forest near Pine Valley, California, according to local news outlet ABC 10.
“The U.S. Marine Corps is searching for five U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Feb. 6, 2024, when the aircraft was reported overdue,” the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said (RELATED: US Military Grounds Entire Osprey Fleet After Latest Deadly Crash)
Lt. Matthew Carpenter also told the AP the aircraft was overdue and the local sheriff’s office was notified at around 1 a.m. and last seen near Pine Valley, The Associated Press reported.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is coordinating with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Civil Air Patrol to conduct the search, according to the statement.
Poor weather conditions limited the search, ABC 10 reported. Heavy rain bombarded the area overnight from a massive storm passing through the area, and San Diego remains under a flood watch, according to the National Weather Service.
U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, enforce precautionary measures during the maintenance of CH-53E Super Stallions on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., March 17, 2020. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Julian Elliott-Drouin)
“The most up-to-date information will be released as it becomes available,” the 3rd MAW said in the statement.
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