Search Underway For 5 Marines; Helicopter Found In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — A U.S. military helicopter that was reported missing Tuesday was found by authorities Wednesday in a remote area of San Diego County. A search is underway for five Marines who went missing aboard the aircraft.

The Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter that left Creech Air Force Base near Las Vegas and was headed to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The aircraft was "reported overdue" late Tuesday, according to the U.S. Marine Corps.

It was not immediately known what time the helicopter left Creech nor what time they were due to arrive. Waves of heavy downpours hit the area throughout the night and snow was forecast for San Diego County mountains.

The missing Marines were on the helicopter for a routine training flight, military officials said. They were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Civil authorities found the aircraft shortly after 9 a.m. in the mountainous area of Pine Valley, according to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which was leading the search. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department, Cal Fire San Diego, Border Patrol, Forest Service and other agencies were also searching the area north of Interstate 8 and Kitchen Creek Road, southeast of Pine Valley.

"Multiple agencies are searching the area covered in snow making it hard to access," Cal Fire reported on social media.

Heavy snow falling Wednesday in the sparsely populated mountains covered in pine trees and thick brush was making access to the area challenging, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The agency said it requested additional resources and was coordinating with the military, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego sheriff’s Department and the state Civil Air Patrol.

The National Weather Service in San Diego called for 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of snow in the mountains above 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) and gusty winds late Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon a tornado warning was issued but quickly canceled with the weather service saying the storm was not capable of forming a twister.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the missing Marines, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who answered questions as the president flew to New York City for campaign fundraisers.

“We’re watching this closely and again our thoughts are for the best,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

About 99 feet long, the CH-53E Super Stallion is the largest and heaviest helicopter in the military. It can move troops and equipment over rugged terrain in bad weather, including at night, according to the Marine Corps website. It is also nicknamed the “hurricane maker" because of the amount of downwash generated from its three engines.

There have been a number of deadly military plane and helicopter crashes in the region in recent years.

In 2022, an Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed in the desert in Imperial County, killing five Marines, including Capt. John J. Sax, the son of former Dodgers star Steve Sax. That crash came less than two years after eight Marines from Camp Pendleton and one Navy sailor were killed when an amphibious assault vehicle sank July 30, 2020 in the ocean near San Clemente Island.

A month after that, two soldiers were killed in a Black Hawk helicopter crash during training on San Clemente Island.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.