Four crew members escaped unharmed after making a fiery emergency landing near a Southern California freeway on Friday afternoon.
The in-flight emergency unfolded at about 4:10 p.m. at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in northern San Diego County, according to Marine Corps and California Highway Patrol officials.
The CH-53A Super Stallion helicopter experienced an engine fire while airborne, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a written statement.
A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter made a fiery emergency landing at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. The crew of four escaped unharmed.
“The aircrew conducted emergency procedures and safely landed the aircraft at a landing zone on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, near interstate 5,” the statement said.
Local and Marine Corps firefighters extinguished the flaming wreckage, which sent a thick plume of smoke high into the air, officials said. The crash site was visible to commuters on the nearby 5 Freeway through Oceanside.
No further details were available on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Military helicopter makes fiery emergency landing in Southern California