Four Marines Safe After Super Stallion Helicopter Catches Fire Mid-Flight

A CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 465, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flies back to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar during the Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration at the 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show on MCAS Miramar, Calif., Sept. 29, 2018. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Julian Elliott-Drouin)

Military.com | By Gina Harkins

Published September 05, 2020

Four Marines were able to get out of a heavy lift helicopter safely after it made an emergency landing just miles from their air station.

A CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina made an emergency landing on Thursday. The aircraft landed in Dixon, which is about 11 miles from New River.

All four crew members aboard the aircraft were safe and no injuries were reported.

The Marine Corps released few details about the mishap, citing an ongoing investigation.

"We are thankful for the quick response to the scene by the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Onslow County Sheriff's Office and Onslow County Emergency Medical Service," the service said in a Thursday statement.

The reason for the precautionary landing was not immediately known, the statement adds. The Daily News in Jacksonville said the aircraft started on fire shortly after it landed.

All the Marines were out of the aircraft before it caught fire, according to the paper.

In-flight aircraft fires are rare but not unheard-of. In June 2019, a Marine Corps Super Stallion caught fire while conducting a training flight over Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and was forced to conduct an emergency landing. The crew emerged safely.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.

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Related Topics: Military Headlines Aviation Accidents Marine Corps Topics Helicopters

Gina Harkins

Gina Harkins previously covered the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for Military.com. She has covered troops and their families for nearly a decade, reporting from the U.S., Central and South America, and at sea. Before joining Military.com, Gina was a longtime reporter and managing editor for the independent Marine Corps Times. Her story on two recruits trapped at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina was runner up for the 2013 Military Reporters and Editors award for domestic military coverage. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and studied political science and international relations in her undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University. Read Full Bio

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