Posted on 02/07/2024 7:14:04 AM PST by V_TWIN
California search and rescue crews are looking for a missing helicopter with five Marines aboard, the U.S. Marine Corps said.
The CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter was "reported overdue" to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Tuesday night. The helicopter departed from Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas and was en route to Miramar, in San Diego.
The Marines have asked for help from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and Civil Air Patrol.
The sheriff's department said it received a call at 1:50 a.m. and sent its own helicopter to search, but the helicopter wasn't able to reach the area due to the atmospheric river storm hitting the region. The sheriff's department said it has now sent off-road vehicles to navigate the rough terrain.
Firefighters responded to the point where the helicopter was last known, and nothing was found, Cal Fire officials said.
Hope they made a soft landing someplace...and are working their way to a road...
Groan. Not again!
Horrendous weather between here and San Diego at that time. Would not have wanted to be flying in a helicopter during the last few days here.
There are 3 US Navy depot level rework facilities in the country.
One being in San Diego.
That depot hasn’t got the best record of Quality......I know that because I worked at one of the other ones.
I hope maintenance had nothing to do with this and they are all safe.
Oh man. Prayers for these folks...
Me too. Do their chopper radio(s) work from the ground, unless damaged in a crash?
Are there portable radio backups?
Does a chopper like that have black boxes and a emergency locator beacon that pings if a crash occurs?
My buddy was Marine in a helicopter group in Nam. His helicopter provided Security for Bob Hope and hovered over the stage. I lost my buddy a year ago. A Marine through and through.
So sorry to hear this.
We’ve had incredibly violent weather for the past 48 hours in So Cal - relentless, record-setting, heavy rain and high winds - my yard looks like a bomb hit it.
I pray they are all OK.
“Hope they made a soft landing someplace...and are working their way to a road...”
Yup.
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