Weather and night vision goggles were likely factors in Marine Corps helicopter crash, report finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The crash of a Marine Corps helicopter past twelvemonth that killed 5 work members was yet caused by aviator error, but the usage of nighttime imaginativeness goggles and unsafe flying conditions besides apt were factors, according to an probe study obtained by The Associated Press.

The CH-53 Super Stallion crashed Feb. 6, 2024, during a precocious nighttime formation erstwhile it deed a upland adjacent Pine Valley, California, connected its mode backmost to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Investigators recovered that aggregate factors apt led to the crash. But arsenic with respective erstwhile subject aviation accidents, investigators had to marque immoderate assumptions due to the fact that the CH-53 was not equipped with a formation information recorder susceptible of surviving a crash.

The limits of nighttime imaginativeness goggles besides person been identified arsenic a potential factor successful the fatal collision of an Army Black Hawk chopper and a rider pitchy adjacent Reagan Washington National Airport successful January that killed 67 people. The goggles tin trim a pilot's quality to find region and tin beryllium degraded by upwind oregon airy pollution.

The Marine chopper was flying successful icing conditions with debased unreality screen that obscured the mountainous terrain on the formation path. The unit was utilizing nighttime imaginativeness goggles, which apt did not springiness them the wide representation needed to debar a clang into terrain, investigators found.

The precipitation and clouds astir apt degraded the goggles' show and perchance gave the unit a mendacious consciousness that they were maintaining the harmless distances needed successful the flight, investigators found.

The aviator and unit main “most apt believed they were operating legally and wrong their comfortableness level,” investigators found.

Ultimately, though, investigators recovered that the pilot's nonaccomplishment to debar the terrain was the superior origin of the crash. They besides recovered that the commanding officer, who was relieved of work owed to a nonaccomplishment of assurance successful an quality to lead, should not person fixed the unit support to fly.

The Super Stallion vanished during the overnight formation connected its mode backmost to Miramar from Creech Air Force Base. The chopper was discovered successful the greeting adjacent the upland assemblage of Pine Valley.

All 5 Marines aboard were killed successful the crash: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas; Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona; Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan; Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire; and Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho

In interviews contained successful the report, aggregate members of the squadron said that the crews had been stretched bladed due to the fact that their portion had to alert further missions to compensate for past year's monthslong grounding of the V-22 Osprey fleet.