A military helicopter caught fire during a training mission and was forced to make an emergency landing at California’s Camp Pendleton, authorities said.
The aircraft — a CH53-E Super Stallion — experienced an engine fire at 4:11 p.m. Friday, prompting an emergency landing at Camp Pendleton, a Marine corps base near the 5 Freeway in scenic Oceanside according to a statement from the 3rd Aircraft Wing.
Four military personnel were able to escape the burning whirly bird without injury — but were unable to put out the flames, according to NBC San Diego.
The chopper, which is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, roughly 40 miles from the crash site, burned for at least an hour, the outlet reported.
The fire was extinguished by local first responders and Marine Corps personnel, according to the statement.
“We ask for the public’s patience and cooperation as we respond to this situation. For now, we urge the community to avoid the area to allow emergency responders to do their work safely,” the statement concluded.
There have been several other military helicopter crashes during training missions over the last year.
Five marines, also from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing who were also conducting a training mission, died when their helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego on Feb. 8.
Two National Guard soldiers died on Feb 23. while conducting a training mission in Mississippi.
On March 8, two soldiers and one Border Patrol agent were killed in a crash near Texas’ southern border.
Five Army special operations soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in the Mediterranean Sea, during a routine air refueling training mission.
