Search continues for 5 Marines after their helicopter was found in Southern California

(CNN) — The search is on for five US Marines whose military helicopter was found in Southern California’s Pine Valley this week after it failed to arrive at a San Diego base as planned.

The Marines were on a training flight Tuesday night aboard a CH-53E Super Stallion, flown from Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, but were ultimately “reported late,” the Marine Corps unit said Wednesday. .

Civil authorities found the helicopter around 9 a.m. Wednesday in Pine Valley, a mountainous area about 30 miles east of the San Diego station, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said. The helicopter’s condition was not immediately released.

The CH-53E is a heavy-lift helicopter that can move troops and equipment and transport 16 tons of cargo, according to the US Navy. The Marines who were aboard the ship are assigned to Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, said Marine Capt. Stephanie Leguizamon.

The Marine Corps was coordinating with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies to manage the search for the crew, the Marines said.

Winds were gusting to 20 mph Tuesday night near Pine Valley and are likely to be stronger at higher elevations. Radar indicates a heavy band of precipitation moving through the area between 10 PM Tuesday night and 4 AM Wednesday morning, with rain at lower elevations and snow at higher elevations.

The last ping from the plane was recorded Tuesday at 11:20 p.m., Cal Fire San Diego spokesman Mike Cornett told CNN on Wednesday.

The Super Stallion helicopter has been involved in several accidents over the past decade, at least two of which have been fatal.

In 2016, 12 Marines were killed when two CH-53E helicopters collided during a night training exercise near Hawaii, an accident military investigators attributed to pilot error. Two years later, four crew members were killed when a Super Stallion crashed during a training mission near El Centro, California.

Another incident after a training exercise in Djibouti resulted in what was considered a “miracle at sea”: 25 Navy Marines and sailors survived when a CH-53E crashed while trying to dock an amphibious transport at sea in 2014.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN’s Dakin Andone and Monica Garrett contributed to this report.