Wreckage found in search for US military helicopter missing with five on board

07 February 2024 , 17:35

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The US Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter that went missing with five Marines in California has been found (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The wreckage of the US Marine helicopter that went missing on Wednesday morning with five onboard has been found on a mountainside near Cleveland National Forest, around the last-known location of the machine.

Officials confirmed the location of the crash site on Wednesday, adding that civil authorities found the downed vessel in Pine Valley at around 9.08am local time.

"The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is managing search and rescue efforts through the Wing Operations Command Center and using ground and aviation assets to locate the aircrew," the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a statement.

Investigator Jason Paladino added that the Sikorsky 53 E helicopters - the aircraft flown by the military personnel - "have some of the worst safety records in military aviation" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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The helicopter had been flying from a base near Las Vegas, Nevada, to one near San Diego, California (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Desperate searches began for the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter late Tuesday night into Wednesday after it was "reported overdue" — it hadn't arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, a base near San Diego, California, that evening as scheduled. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing issued a statement on X, asserting that officials are scouring the ground and skies for the missing marines.

The agency is utilising the Wings Operations Command Center and assistance from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and "multiple federal, state and local agencies."

The crew of five Marines had reportedly taken off from the Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier that day and had flown some sort of mission or training exercise that was supposed to end with the helicopter landing at Miramar.

By around 1.50am local time, the Marines had called in help from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and Civil Air Patrol, the former of which sent its own helicopter to search the area. There was only one problem — a nasty atmospheric river storm has been battering the region, dumping dangerous amounts of water on the area, flooding entire communities and causing mudslides that have caused unfathomable damage.

The helicopter crashed east of San Diego near the Cleveland National Forest

Residents were ordered to evacuate many areas or told to shelter in place in regions where the weather wasn't quite as severe. Terrifying images from over the weekend show people waiting in several inches of fast-flowing, disgusting waters, attempting to drive in streets that had become rivers or bravely filming waves of sludge rolling down from dirt-ridden hills.

So, with no way to reach search via the air yet, the sheriff's department opted to use off-road vehicles that could more easily navigate the treacherous terrain, hoping desperately to find the helicopter but, more importantly, the five Marines on board.

California Fire said crews responded to the last known location of the aircraft but found nothing. It had been seen around Cleveland National Forest near Pine Valley in California, and the Marines on board had reportedly asked for help just after 2am local time, local news reported.

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Searches began for the helicopter late Tuesday night into Wednesday after it was "reported overdue" (Getty Images)

The Marines had reportedly been assigned to the "Flying Tigers," a crew part of the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing released a statement about the incident at the time the craft was reported missing. It read: "The US Marine Corps is searching for five US 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 February 6, 2024, when the aircraft was reported overdue.

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"The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is coordinating search and rescue efforts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the Civil Air Patro. The most up-to-date information will be released as it becomes available."

Jeremiah Hassel