5 US Marines killed in fiery helicopter crash in California identified

09 February 2024 , 17:55

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The five marines who went missing after their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter failed to land at its destination have been identified by the US Marine Corps (Image: NBC San Diego)

The five US Marines who were killed after their CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed in a forest in California have been identified by the military branch — and one had just gotten married mere weeks ago.

Three were pilots and two were crew chiefs, and they ranged in age from 21 to 28 and had earned various ranks. An official email obtained by Marine Corps reporter Drew F. Lawrence states that the five men were: Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas; Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona; Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho; Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire; and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan.

The youngest of the two had been the crew chiefs while the older three had been the pilots, all specialising in flying CH-53E Super Stallions. One of them, Sgt. Alec Langen, was just married last month. His widow and the families of all the tragic servicemen are now grieving from the losses.

Langen's mother took to Facebook last month to share a picture of the happy couple, captioning it with details about a fundraiser she and others were holding to help them garner enough money to move to North Carolina together while Langen continued to serve in the Marine Corps.

"As you know Alec and Casey have just gotten married and they have set up a registry to help them with their new lives and moving to North Carolina with the Marine Corps. I have put their registry link in the comments below. If you want to contact Alec via direct message, click on his name he will send you an announcement if you provide your address," the mother, Caryn, stated.

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Sgt. Alec Langen, who was just recently married, was tragically one of the five Marines who perished

Tragedy befell the crew on early Wednesday morning when they lost control of the craft around Cleveland National Forest in California. They had reportedly been flying from Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego, California.

The Marines called for assistance from local law enforcement, including the San Diego Sheriff's Department just before 2am local time that morning after the flight hadn't arrived to the base on schedule. The first call reportedly came in at around 1.50am, and shortly after 2am, the Marines onboard the aircraft reportedly radioed for help themselves.

But it was too late — their machine went down over the forest, and none of them made it out alive. Weather conditions had been rather terrible, it was reported, with a nasty atmospheric river storm battering the region and dumping trillions of gallons of water on the state of California, flooding everything and causing mudslides in other areas.

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The site of the fatal helicopter crash that left five US Marines dead in California (NBC San Diego)

Unfathomable damage occurred during the days the storm battered local communities, and horrifying images show mud racing down flooded streets, coating everything in a disgusting brown and sweeping away cars and other property.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday at about 9.08am local time that the craft had been found in Pine Valley, but searches for the missing crew were still underway. They were later found on Thursday, then identified on Friday. Investigator Jason Paladino told reporters that the Sikorsky 53E helicopters, similar to the one flown by the crew, "have some of the worst safety records in military aviation," taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the sentiment.

The CH-53E Super Stallion has a rather low safety record over the years (AFP/Getty Images)

Searches for the craft and the crew were delayed amid the storm conditions, with helicopters owned and operated by the sheriff's department unable to reach the area where the Marine helicopter went down, which is why the search was delayed. Offroad vehicles had to be brought in to help.

All the crew members had been a part of the "Flying Tigers," a crew that's attached to the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Jeremiah Hassel