The Region - News from May 8, 1987

The Marine Corps blamed pilot error for the Jan. 8 crash of a CH-53E Super Stallion that killed all five Marines on board in the California desert near the Salton Sea. A preliminary report, obtained by The Times, also was extremely critical of the former squadron commander for having allowed the aircraft to attempt a night landing. The report said lighting at the landing zone--an abandoned military test range in Imperial County--was inadequate for multiple aircraft landings and was a contributing factor to the accident. It also noted that the squadron had violated standard operating procedures by landing in an area with “unstabilized soil.”