A military helicopter caught fire during a training mission, forcing an emergency landing at Camp Pendleton in California, authorities said.
The aircraft, a CH53-E Super Stallion, suffered an engine fire at 4:11 p.m. Friday and made an emergency landing at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near Highway 5 in scenic Oceanside, officials said. Statement from the 3rd Wing.
According to NBC San Diego, four military personnel were able to escape the flaming swirling bird and were not injured, but they were unable to extinguish the flames.
The helicopter was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, about 40 miles from the crash site, and remained on fire for at least an hour. The outlet reported.
The fire was extinguished by local first responders and Marine Corps personnel, the statement said.
“We ask for the public's patience and cooperation as we respond to this situation. At this time, we ask the community to avoid the area so that emergency responders can safely conduct their work,” the statement read. I concluded.
There were several other military helicopter crashes during training missions last year.
Five Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, also on a training mission, died on February 8 when their helicopter crashed in the mountains outside San Diego.
On February 23, two National Guard members were killed while conducting a training mission in Mississippi.
On March 8, two soldiers and a Border Patrol agent were killed in a crash near the southern Texas border.
Five Army special operations soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed during a routine aerial refueling training mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
