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USA Today
08-05-2025
- General
- USA Today
Investigators release report on cause of helicopter crash that killed 5 Marines
Investigators release report on cause of helicopter crash that killed 5 Marines Show Caption Hide Caption Pilot error cited as cause of military helicopter crash A report says weather and the use of night vision goggles were among the reasons for a deadly Marine helicopter crash. Fox - 10 Phoenix 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."
NBC News
08-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
Deadly Marine helicopter crash in San Diego's East County deemed ‘pilot error'
More than one year later, the official investigation into the cause of the military helicopter crash that killed five Marines is complete. It happened on Feb. 6, 2024, during the CH-53E Super Stallion's return flight to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, where all of the Marines were based. The servicemen were identified as: Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, a CH-53E helicopter pilot Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire, a CH-53E helicopter pilot Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan, a CH-53E helicopter pilot The 1,140-page investigation was released more than one year later on Wednesday. According to the redacted version, released to the public, the crash was deemed 'pilot error, which included the mishap 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,' read the report. The report continued, 'the investigation identified several additional contributing factors, including the presence of moderate icing conditions and cloud layers along the mishap route that prevented a safe transit above factor terrain. The investigation further determined these deteriorating weather conditions should have been a signal to the mishap crew of TIGER 43 that a safe transit from Imperial County Airport was not feasible, despite the earlier forecasted and observed weather report that supported TIGER 43's initial departure from Creech Air Force Base to Imperial County.' As mentioned above, the investigation revealed that the TIGER 43 crew, part of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW), had a training flight before leaving Creech Air Force Base to head back to their home base. They had a planned stop at the Imperial County Airport for fuel, but it turned into a nighttime precautionary emergency landing (PEL) after receiving warning signs about one of their engines. There was some discrepancy in the investigation on whether or not this was communicated adequately. However, the issue was resolved, then, according to the report, the pilot called the squadron's commanding officer to approve their flight back to Miramar. It was approved, but 'the squadron CO exceeded his authority by approving the mishap flight,' and the investigators determined that it should have been elevated. That commanding officer was later relieved on Nov. 18 'due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue to serve,' according to a media release sent to NBC 7 from 3rd MAW. The Super Stallion crew was eventually reported overdue at Miramar and last 'heard of at 2330' or 11:30 p.m., according to dispatch records. The next day multiple agencies, both federal and local, responded to their last known location in the Pine Valley area to try to find the helicopter and the Marines. Unfortunately, all five Marines were later found dead and were protected by fellow Marines until investigators arrived, including 23-year-old Sgt. Alec Langen. 'Probably the most difficult part was reading from the time it went down to the time that they found everybody,' Steve Langen, Alec's dad who also has experience as a Marine on the CH-53E, told NBC 7. 'What happened? Were they over task-saturated? Were they tired?' Steve Langen explained he and his wife, Alec's mom, were briefed in person a few weeks ago by Marines who shared the full, unredacted investigative conclusion with them, as is standard policy. He explained they 'never wanted there to be a family to have to live with [the responsibility]' of knowing one person on the aircraft may have been to blame for the tragedy. 'As a parent, you want to believe that they all made the decision together,' Steve Langen said. Despite the entire length of the investigation, those final moments before the helicopter crashed into the mountain ridge will never be fully understood. 'A few limitations presented during the investigative process, including the inaccessibility of certain on-board flight data and exact real-time weather. The investigative team thoroughly evaluated possible scenarios and simulations to draw conclusions from the available data and analysis,' read the 3rd MAW media release announcing the completed report. That is exactly what needs to change, Steve Langen told NBC 7. He said he wants to see voice recorders added to the cockpit of military aircraft so that other families do not need to be left with lingering questions if the unthinkable happens. 'Were they having a discussion? Did one guy override the other one? Was Alec saying let's turn around or was Alec saying let's go?' Steve Langen said. A spokesperson for 3rd MAW explained that incorporating crash-survivable recorders into the CH-53E would be too costly, given their limited remaining service life in the Marine Corps. 'No, it's not going to bring him back. No, it's not going to give us full closure from it, but there has to be some change,' Steve Langen said. The media release from 3rd MAW added that 'multiple recommendations were implemented to police and training across 3rd MAW in response to the investigation.'
CBS News
30-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
Longtime Philadelphia pilot and aviation expert says Reagan Airport crash should have been prevented
Various government agencies will be involved in the investigation to determine what led up to the midair collision Wednesday night at Reagan National Airport. Experienced pilot and aviation attorney Arthur Wolk told CBS News Philadelphia we don't have midair crashes often in this country because the whole aviation system works in a meticulous fashion, from technology to communication. He knows from experience how challenging it is to fly around Reagan National Airport simply because of how busy it is. "When you see all these conflicting lights, you don't know whether these are the landing lights from that airplane you're supposed to go behind. Are they the landing lights from another airplane? Are they not even on an airplane because in Washington, I can't begin to tell you how many billion lights that are out there that are conflicting with your instructions," Wolk said. He explained that midair crashes are so uncommon thanks in part to TCAS, which stands for Traffic Collision Avoidance System. That system continuously alerts pilots about the whereabouts of surrounding aircraft and directs them to climb or descend, however, it shuts off at 1,000 feet. Air traffic controllers take over from there and direct takeoffs and landings. In this situation, air traffic control changed the plane's runway, a common practice for a smaller jet like the one involved. However, Wolk says that change could have made the visual harder on the helicopter pilot. "When there is a runway change, the helicopter pilot, who is looking for a certain sight picture — the landing lights of an approaching aircraft, now may instead not see them anymore because the airplane has now turned perpendicular to him." The FAA, NTSB and the United States Army will all investigate this incident. "I don't believe VFR, Visual Flight Rules aircraft or helicopters ought to be flying in the same airspace around major terminals crossing over approach paths to runways. I think that's wrong and that's a recipe for disaster," Wolk told CBS News Philadelphia. The Department of Defense said it was a "fairly experienced crew" in the helicopter and they were wearing night vision goggles. Wolk said night vision goggles may have actually made it harder to see the plane in the sky because of how lighting can become distorted.
