On February 6, a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter carrying five Marines from the U.S. Marine Corps’ 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing went missing while en route to San Diego. A search and rescue mission was launched to locate the missing service members, involving members of Civil Air Patrol, firefighters, and other state, federal, and local agencies. The aircraft was located the next day, unfortunately, all five Marines on board were confirmed deceased.
Lt. Col. Steven DeFord, incident commander for CAP’s California Wing, explained that CAP quickly mobilized resources to find the missing aircraft despite bad weather in the area. The National Radar Analysis Team provided valuable assistance by pinpointing the last-known position of the helicopter, which was only 300 feet away from the actual crash site. CAP shared this data with search parties within 30 minutes to aid in the search efforts.
The NRAT, with 15 years of experience and advanced technologies, plays a crucial role in shortening the time between a crash and a rescue by analyzing radar data to determine the probable crash site location. During the search for the missing helicopter, 35 CAP volunteers from Nevada, Arizona, and California collaborated to locate the aircraft. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center facilitated communication between various state and federal agencies involved in the search and rescue mission.
Civil Air Patrol, established as the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, operates the world’s largest fleet of single-engine aircraft for search and rescue, disaster relief, training, and education. The California Wing of CAP engages in various exercises to support mission partners like the U.S. Coast Guard and stands ready to assist in-state and federal search and rescue missions. Despite the outcome, CAP and its volunteers work alongside the Air Force to provide trained professionals and crash data analytics to respond quickly to any emergency they are called to assist with.
