Search Underway for Missing CH-53 with 5 Marines Aboard

A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flies toward the landing deck of the United States Naval Ship Sacagawea at Kushiro Port, Japan, in October 2022. [Courtesy: U.S. Marine Corps]

Search efforts are underway in Southern California after a U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 Super Stallion with five Marines on board failed to reach Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Tuesday night.

The aircraft is assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is based in San Diego.

"The Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base, [Nevada] to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar [California] on February 6, 2024, when the aircraft was reported overdue," a 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing spokesperson told FLYING. "The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is coordinating search and rescue efforts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the Civil Air Patrol."

According to local media reports, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, received a call around 2:20 a.m. PST Wednesday that reported the CH-53 missing and last known to be in the area of Pine Valley, California, according to KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. Cal Fire crews are assisting in the search. However, access to the search area has been a challenge due to snow, a Cal Fire official told KTLA.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.