5 US Marines are dead after their Super Stallion helicopter crashed

• The US Marine Corps says five Marines are dead following a helicopter crash on Tuesday.
• Their CH-53E Super Stallion crashed in California during a training flight.

Five US Marines are confirmed dead after their heavy-lift helicopter crashed in California during a training flight on Tuesday.

The Marines, which were assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base, just north of Las Vegas, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, near San Diego, but they didn't arrive when expected.

The aircraft was reported "overdue," a Marine Corps spokesperson told Business Insider on Wednesday.

In a statement released later on Wednesday, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing confirmed that the helicopter had crashed and the five individuals on board were dead.

"It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness that I share the loss of five outstanding Marines," said Maj. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. "These pilots and crewmembers were serving a calling greater than self and were proud to do so."

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said the identities of the Marines have not yet been released, but efforts to recover their remains are underway, as well as an investigation into the cause of the fatal crash.

A spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department told Business Insider on Wednesday that it was notified after 1 a.m. local time that there was an overdue helicopter. The aircraft was last seen in the mountainous Pine Valley area, where search and rescue operations were conducted.

Super Stallions are heavy-lift helicopters that are designed to transport Marines and equipment from land to ships and can be used to facilitate amphibious assaults and other missions.

The Super Stallion has a questionable safety record. Navy Safety Command records indicate that the Super Stallion has had an average mishap rate of 50.43 percent, most being Class C mishaps, for the past 10 years. In that time, there were 17 fatalities.

The past year has been problematic for helicopter and tiltrotor aircraft. Last year, at least 30 American troops were killed and many more were injured in helicopter and tiltrotor crashes.