A Marine Corps CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter crashed Tuesday in California, presumably killing all four service members aboard the aircraft, according to multiple reports.
The heavy-lift helicopter flew out of Miramar Air Station in San Diego and went down near the U.S.-Mexico border during a routine training exercise. The deadly accident is under investigation. “The status of all four [crew members] is presumed dead,” a statement from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing revealed.
The names of the deceased are being held pending notification of next of kin.
MEDIA RELEASE: A Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed in the vicinity of El Centro, California, at approximately 2:35 p.m. Tuesday during a routine training mission. pic.twitter.com/7xbN9iFzsZ
— 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (@3rdmaw) April 4, 2018
The accident in southern California was not the only Marine Corps mishap Tuesday, as an AV-8B Harrier jet crashed in Djibouti the same day. There were no reported fatalities in that incident.
The crash in California is reportedly the deadliest Marine Corps aircraft accident since sixteen perished when a Marine Corps KC-130T Hercules tanker and transport aircraft crashed in Mississipi in July 2017. A dozen Marines lost their lives when a pair of Super Stallions collided off the coast of Hawaii in 2016.
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