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By Miriam Raftery
February 7, 2024 (Pine Valley) – Crews from multiple agencies are searching for the crew of a military helicopter that went missing southeast of Pine Valley and north of Interstate 8 near Kitchen Creek Road. The helicopter has been located this morning as of 10:50 a.m., but the crew has not yet been found.
Heavy snow is making it difficult for searchers to access the area. Cal Fire San Diego is currently in unified command with the U.S. Forest Service, according to Cal Fire. Agencies helping in the search include the U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego County Sheriff’s Dept., and California Civil Air Patrol.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department received a call from the Marine Corps, asking for assistance in the search for the aircraft just before 2 a.m. Wednesday. The Sheriff sent in ground crews and deployed a helicopter that could not reach the area due to severe weather,10 News reports.
Cal Fire also received a call from the Marine Corps asking for assistance. They responded to the area of the aircraft’s last known location in the Cleveland National Forest, where weather conditions are cold and snowy. They were unable to locate it.
According to a statement released earlier by the U.S. Marine Corps, five Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The Marines were flying a routine training mission on CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar from Las Vegas when the aircraft was reported overdue on Feb.6.
“The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is coordinating search and rescue efforts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the Civil Air Patrol,” the statement from the Marines said. “The most up-to-date information will be released as it becomes available.”
Ben Schultz, who operates the Desert View Tower near Jacumba Hot Springs just east of Pine Valley, posted on Facebook,"I heard a large helicopter come up the hill very slowly last night at 10.33. It was raining heavily and high winds...I surely noticed how hard it seemed to be struggling."
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