Somehow I doubt it. They'll all have probably crashed and burned by then. That seems to be their modus operandi.
Then it must
really bake your noodle that there are any CH53s left that can get in the air.
- On 10 May 1977, 54 people were killed in a CH-53 crash in Israel.
- On 21 October 1977, 31 US Marines serving in Operation Fortress Lightning were killed in a CH53 crash in Mindoro, Philippines during sling load operations due to a design flaw in the tail rotor drive.
- Oct. 18, 1982 A malfunction on a Tustin-based CH-53E led to parts flying off the machine, causing $30,000 damage. No one was injured.
- Nov. 30, 1982 A Tustin-based CH-53E lost cargo and fuel tank, causing $71,000 damage.
- Feb. 10, 1983 A main rotor sheared on a CH-53E during a flight near San Diego. No one was injured. Damage was reported at $67,000.
- On 27 April, 1983, a CH-53D crashed in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia. The crash resulted in the drowning of Marine First Lieutenant David A. Boyle. The suit brought by Boyle's father went to the Supreme Court.
- July 19, 1983 While a CH-53E was taxiing at Tustin after landing, parts in the tail section were damaged when a bearing disintegrated. Damage was estimated at $45,000.
- Sept. 27, 1983 A CH-53E about to land at Norfolk, Va., lost tail rotor power but managed to get down. Bearings and disconnect coupling were damaged. Damage was $42,400.
- Jan. 19, 1984 A CH-53E landing at the Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Italy, lost hydraulic pressure when its main gearbox cooler fan shattered. Flying parts also damaged the oil lines and the rotor drive shaft. Damage was set at $56,000.
- Feb. 14, 1984 A CH-53E with 45 troops aboard made an emergency landing during an East Coast operation after failure of the main rotor damper, which automatically stabilized the bounce of aircraft.
- March 4, 1984 Crew aboard of a CH-53E reported hearing a loud bang and severe vibrations. Aircraft made an emergency landing in field. The main gearbox cooler fan had disintegrated. No one was injured.
- On 24 March, 1984 A CH-53D crashes into mountain in Korea during a night troop operation, killing 29.
- On 1 June, 1984 A Tustin-based CH-53E was lifting a truck from the deck of a ship for transport to San Clemente Island during an exercise when a sling attached to the truck broke, sending a shock wave into aircraft that caused it to disintegrate. Four crewmen were killed.
- On 19 November, 1984 a CH-53E on a routine training mission at Camp Lejeune, N.C., exploded in mid-air as it was lifting a seven-ton howitzer. Six killed, 11 injured.
- Feb. 7, 1985 A CH-53E crash-landed at Tustin Marine Corps Air Station as it was being put through manuevers that simulate the loss of power in automatic flight controls. Four persons were injured.
- April 3, 1985 A CH-53E from Tustin suffered $36,000 in unspecified damages while flying a mission. Specific damage to aircraft was never reported. No one was injured.
- On 6 May, 1985, A CH-53D experiences a transmission failure and falls into Sea of Japan while returning to Futenma AB from Iwakuni AB, Yamaguchi Prefecture, killing 17. It belonged to the 462nd Helicopter Squadron, 36th Wing, 1st Group, USMC, based at Futenma AB.
- July 12, 1985 A CH-53D appeared to have struck a logging cable during tactical formation training at Okinawa, killing four. Accident under investigation.
- July 13, 1985 A CH-53E from a Tustin squadron was on a flight in Okinawa when it struck a logging cable and exploded. Four persons were killed.
- July 17, 1985 A CH-53E made an emergency landing on the East Coast after its main gearbox lost lubrication from disintegration of its primary oil pump. Broken pieces damaged the secondary oil pump.
- July 19, 1985 A CH-53E operating in the Philippines was hovering at 60 feet when it lost power to the tail rotor, which sheared off. Damage was estimated at $188,000.
- On 25 August, 1985 a CH-53E from New River, N.C., was flying a routine supply and passenger run from Tustin to Twentynine Palms during a training operation when it caught fire and crashed in Laguna Hills. One of the three crew members was killed and the aircraft was a total loss.
- Sept. 12, 1985 A CH-53E with three persons aboard developed fire in an engine and made an emergency landing near Norfolk, Va., Damage estimated at $38,000.
- Sept. 24, 1985 During a routine practice flight at Norfolk, Va., a CH-53E developed problems during its initial climb after takeoff. Bearings in the main transmission had disintegrated. No one was injured.
- On 9 May, 1986, four Marines were killed and a fifth was injured in a CH-53E crash Friday near Twentynine Palm. The accident, which occurred during training exercises, was the fifth crash in the previous two years of a Super Stallion.
- Oct. 21, 1986 A CH-53E from Tustin was returning to base when it developed transmission problems and the pilot made a precautionary landing in a farm field in Irvine. No one was injured.
- On 8 January, 1987, a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed during night training, killing all five crew members. The helicopter went down on the Salton Sea Test Range about 8:30 p.m. while practicing night landings for troop deployment
- On 20 March, 1989, a Sea Stallion crashed and burned while on maneuvers off P'ohang, a town on the mountainous east coast of South Korea killing 22. Sixteen other Marines, including one on the ground, were injured in the crash.
- On 18 May, 1990, A Marine Corps CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter en route to its base at the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin crashed in Imperial County, killing one crew member and injuring five others. At the time in 1990, more than 200 servicemen had been killed in accidents involving the CH-53A, CH-53D and CH-53E since 1969.
- On 14 March 1994, A Marine officer was killed and four Marines were injured when their Tustin-based CH-53D landed tail-first and burst into flames on a military runway in Northern California.
- On 9 May, 1996, a CH-53E crashed at Sikorsky's Stratford plant, killing four employees on board. That led to the Navy grounding all CH-53Es and MH-53Es
- On 4 February 1997, two CH-53s collided in the "Helicopter Disaster" in Israel. A total of 73 people died in the accident.
- On 10 August, 2000, a Sea Dragon crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Corpus Christi and resulted in the deaths of its crew of four. The helicopters were later returned to service with improved swash plate duplex bearings and new warning systems for the bearings.
- On 20 January, 2002 a CH-53E crash in Afghanistan killed two crew members and injured five others. Defense Department officials said the early-morning crash was the result of mechanical problems with the helicopter.
- On 2 April, 2002, a Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon of HM-14 BuNo 163051 crashed on the runway at Bahrain International Airport. All 18 people on board survived with only a few cases of minor injuries.
- On 27 June, 2002, a Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 4 (HC-4) "Black Stallions" crashed in a hard landing at NAS Sigonella, Sicily. No one was injured, but the aircraft was written off.
- On 16 July, 2003, a Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 4 (HC-4) "Black Stallions" crashed near the town of Palagonia, about 10 miles west-southwest of Naval Air Station Sigonella, killing the four member crew. The flight was on a routine training mission. One of the fatalities was the HC-4 executive officer.
- On 13 August 2004 a US Marine CH-53D from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma crashed into Okinawa International University on Okinawa, Japan due to a maintenance error. The crash caused no serious damage or injuries but was a major international incident because of strained relations about the US use of Futenma.
- On 25 January, 2005, a Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon of HM-14 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, 30 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, VA. The helicopter was on a routine AMCM training mission when it suffered a catastrophic main transmission failure. All eight crew members onboard survived but the aircraft was destroyed.
- On 26 January 2005 a CH-53E carrying 30 Marines and one Navy Corpsman crashed in Rutbah, Iraq, killing all 31 on board. A sandstorm was determined as the cause of the accident. This crash was the main fatal event in the day of the Iraq war with the highest number of US fatalities
- On 16 February, 2005, an MH-53E Sea Dragon from Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 4 (HC-4), based at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, crashed on the base at approximately 4:20 p.m, injuring the four crew members.
- On 17 February, 2006, two American CH-53Es carrying a combined Marine Corps and Air Force crew collided during a training mission over the Gulf of Aden, resulting in ten deaths and two injuries.
- On 16 January, 2008 a Navy MH-53E on a routine training mission crashed approximately four miles south of Corpus Christi, Texas. Three crew members died in the crash and one crew member was taken to local hospital for treatment and survived.
- On 29 March 2011, a Marine CH-53D from MCBH Kaneohe Bay crashed into the bay, killing 1 and injuring 3.
- On 19 January 2012, a Marine CH-53 crashed in southern Afghanistan. Six International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops, all U.S. Marines were killed in the accident.
The CH53 had a worse
week in July 1985 than the V22's
entire operational history to this point with 4 incidents and 8 lives lost.
There have been 3 incidents in 5 years of operation for the V22, and you think they'll all be gone to attrition over 60.
