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Investigator Releasing the cause of helicopter crash

Investigator Releasing the cause of helicopter crash

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More than a year after five US marines had been killed when a helicopter fell into a mountain chain in Southern California, the investigators said that the cause of the misfortune was “pilot error”.

The fatal crash occurred on February 6, 2024, when the service members after a training mission in the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada returned to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diegas. The CH-53E Super Hengst was reported to be missing before the authorities found that it had fallen into a mountain near Pine Valley, California.

The crash killed five marines, including Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21; Sgt. Alec Langen, 23; Captain Benjamin Moulton, 27; Capt. Jack Casey, 26; and captain Miguel Nava, 28.

The report, published by the Marine Corps, found that the basic cause of the misfortune was not maintained the “failure of the visual requirements (visual flight regulas), which leads to a fatally controlled flight into the site”.

When the helicopter returned to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, he had to carry out an emergency landing at the Imperial County Airport, about 120 miles east of the last destination of the Chopper in San Diego. Before he took off again, the helicopter's pilot was given the permission of the commander of the squadron squadron to make the return flight “One Shot”.

The investigators say that the weather conditions on the route from the district airport to the air station, including moderate icy conditions and cloud layers, have also presented a security risk.

“These deteriorating weather conditions should have been a signal for the mischief team of Tiger 43 that a safe transit from the Airport Imperial County to Mcas Miramar was not feasible,” the report said.

And while the investigators say that the consent of the commander's officer for the return flight was not a “direct causal or contributing factor for this mishap”, they found that the official had exceeded his authority because the nights after the emergency room were higher authority.

The commanding officer of the relay should have taken more time to talk to the pilot about the problem of the aircraft and to discuss a more thorough plan to return home, including weather conditions, planned aircraft, crew, crew, tiredness and human factors, “said the investigators.

In November, the squadron commander, who approved the return flight, relieved the command “due to the loss of trust and trust in his ability to continue to serve,” the report said.

In a memo from the 3rd Marine aircraft wing, which is included in the report, it says: “The Marine Corps Aviation Community will use the results and recommendations of this examination to make us better in both practice and in the execution.”

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