Search and rescue teams battling heavy snow on Wednesday located a United States Marine Corps helicopter that disappeared from radar Tuesday night with five Marines aboard.
According to a statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), rescue efforts are ongoing as they try to locate crew members after locating the crashed apparatus.
The aircraft was located by Cal Fire crews In a mountainous area near Pine Valley, CaliforniaOutside of San Diego, around 9am local time.
The search for a Marine Corps helicopter carrying five soldiers from Nevada to California began shortly after it was reported missing Tuesday amid a storm of historic proportions.
According to a CalFire statement, the search for the marines on board is ongoing amid heavy snow and rain in the area.
The missing helicopter is a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion, a powerful aircraft about 100 feet long capable of carrying 16 tons of cargo. The Marine Corps has a fleet of 136 of these helicopters.
According to the Naval Air Systems Command website “the CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy lift helicopter used by Marines around the world” and is “capable of rapidly transporting troops and equipment from ship to shore: facilitating the launch, logistics and maintenance of amphibious assaults.” Sustain and supply and equip the warfighter for mission success.”
“The Super Stallion is capable of lifting heavy military equipment, but is still compact enough to be transported on amphibious warships where it can take off with 16 tons of cargo and deliver it 50 miles before returning to base.” The website suggests.
The Super Stallion has been nicknamed the “Storm Maker” by the Marines due to the strong and high volume of turbulence generated by its three engines.
The helicopter was on a routine training flight from Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
According to a statement from the Marine Corps’ Third Aeronautical Wing, the helicopter was declared obsolete Tuesday night after flying through powerful storms that brought three consecutive days of record rain, flooding and mudslides.
It is not clear whether the helicopter crashed or landed safely.
Officials have not released the identities of the Marines aboard the helicopters, but reports say all five are assigned to Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Aircraft Group 16 and the 3rd Marine Aeronautical Wing.
White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre reported Wednesday afternoon that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the search and rescue efforts for the missing soldiers.
According to a Cal Fire statement, rescuers are “using ground and aviation resources to locate crews in coordination with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and multiple federal, state and local agencies.”
In addition to Cal Fire rescuers, the search is being coordinated between the Civil Air Patrol, the US Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue Unit, the Forest Service and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, as reported in the publication on the X Account. , formerly Twitter, is the last of those agencies.
The sheriff’s office said it received the first call about a helicopter missing nearby at about 1 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday, and a ground search began a few hours later.
According to the agency, weather conditions currently do not support an aerial search, but crews are on standby in case the weather changes.
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