“Another military aircraft has crashed in the desert around El Centro, California — the third in the region in seven days,” Military.com reported.
Another Military Aircraft Crashes in Southern California, the Third in a Week https://t.co/fYJFKxYn8s
— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) June 10, 2022
The news comes less than 48 hours after an MV-22B Osprey crash killed five Marines in the same area.
BREAKING: Military Aircraft Carrying Nuclear Material Crashes in California
A Navy MH-60S Seahawk was conducting routine training from Naval Air Facility El Centro on Thursday when it crashed around 6 p.m. local time.
A Naval Air Force press release stated all four air crew survived the crash:
This evening at approximately 6 p.m., an MH-60S Seahawk crashed near El Centro, Calif. while conducting a routine training flight from Naval Air Facility El Centro. All four of the air crew on board survived the crash and have been safely recovered. One of the aircrew has suffered non-life threatening injuries and has been transported to a local hospital. The helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3, based at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
There were no fatalities when a Navy helicopter went down in the rural Southern California desert Thursday evening, just one day after a deadly military aircraft crash in the same area. https://t.co/JcclwbnjUP
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) June 10, 2022
Three US Military Aircraft Crash In Southern California Within One Week https://t.co/bWzydAx2PR
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) June 11, 2022
From Military.com:
Although this incident appears to have ended without serious injury, the crash caps off a deadly week in southern California for the sea service.
Last Friday, Navy pilot Lt. Richard Bullock was killed when his F/A-18 Super Hornet crashed near Trona, California, about 250 miles from Naval Air Station Lemoore and 400 miles north of El Centro.
That same day, 29-year-old Electronics Technician 2nd Class John Deltoro was killed in a car crash while returning from training at Camp Billy Machen in Niland -- a town just north of El Centro. Deltoro and four other sailors were driving around 10 p.m. June 3 when their car went off the road and hit a large boulder. The four other sailors in the car were all hospitalized. All five were part of a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit, according to the Navy.
Then, on Wednesday, an MV-22B Osprey crashed in Glamis, California -- a small town between El Centro and Yuma -- killing all five Marines aboard. According to the Corps, the aircraft was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Although the series of incidents paints a grim picture, it is important to note that, given the information available, nothing seems to connect all of the mishaps.
The three aircraft crashes involved three different platforms, and the aircraft themselves were based out of three different bases. Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol has said that it is looking into whether seat belts were used in the deadly car crash, noting in a press release that Deltoro was the middle rear passenger.
Zero Hedge noted:
And according to Defense News, more than half the Navy's aircraft are grounded because there's not enough money to fix them. The Air Force has a similar issue. Only 71.5% of the service's fleet is mission ready. America's aging military appears to have reliability issues, even though it outspends the entire world. It's unknown whether the three aircraft experienced mechanical problems.
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