More than a year after five U.S. Marines were killed when a helicopter crashed into a Southern California mountain range, investigators say the cause of the mishap was “pilot error.”
The fatal crash occurred on Feb. 6, 2024, as the service members were returning to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego following a training mission at Nevada’s Creech Air Force Base, northwest of Las Vegas. The CH-53E Super Stallion was reported missing before authorities discovered it had crashed into a mountain near Pine Valley, California.
The crash killed five Marines including Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21; Sgt. Alec Langen, 23; Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27; Capt. Jack Casey, 26; and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28.
The more than 1,100 page report released by the Marine Corps found the root cause of the mishap was the pilot’s “failure to maintain both a safe obstacle clearance and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) visibility requirements, resulting in a fatal controlled flight into terrain.”
As the helicopter was returning to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, it had to make an emergency landing at Imperial County Airport, about 120 miles east of the chopper’s final destination in San Diego. Before taking off again, the helicopter’s pilot received permission from the squadron’s commanding officer to make the “one shot” return flight.
Investigators say the weather conditions on the route from the county airport to the air station, including moderate icy conditions and cloud layers, also presented a safety risk.
“These deteriorating weather conditions should have been a signal to the mishap crew of Tiger 43 that a safe transit from Imperial County Airport to MCAS Miramar was not feasible,” the report said.
And while investigators say the commanding officer’s approval of the return flight was not a “direct causal or contributing factor in this mishap,” they determined the officer exceeded his authority as the approval of a nighttime flight after emergency maintenance lies with a higher authority.
The squadron’s commanding officer also should have taken more time to speak with pilot about the “aircraft issue and discuss a more thorough plan to return home, including weather conditions, planned route of flight, crew day, and fatigue level and human factors,” investigators determined.
In November, the squadron’s commanding officer, who approved the return flight, was relieved of command “due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue serving,” the report said.
A memo from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing included in the report said “the Marine Corps aviation community will utilize the findings and recommendations of this investigation to make us better in both practice and execution.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Investigators release cause of helicopter crash that killed 5 Marines
