A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper with Marine Light Helicopter Attack Squadron (HMLA) 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, flies over Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Sept. 28, 2025. (Jackson Rush/U.S. Marine Corps)
One pilot was killed in a late Thursday crash of an AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter in Southern California, the Marine Corps said Friday. A second crew member was injured.
The helicopter from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 369, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, experienced an “aviation mishap” during routine operations near Imperial Gables, Calif., the Marines said in a statement.
The two pilots were transported to separate hospitals. The first pilot was transported to Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley, Calif., and is confirmed dead. The second pilot was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif., and is in stable condition.
Maj. Gen. James B. Wellons, the commanding general of 3rd MAW, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, north of San Diego, issued a statement on the death.
“It is with profound sadness that I share the loss of a Marine from 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and the ‘Gunfighters’ while conducting a training flight in support of the Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course,” Wellons said in the statement. “This Marine made the ultimate sacrifice, and we are forever grateful for his selfless commitment and willingness to go into harm’s way. To the family, friends and loved ones of our fallen Marine, we send our deepest condolences and offer our unwavering support during this time of grief.”
The “Gunfighters” are based at MCAS Camp Pendleton.
Identification will be made 24 hours after the next of kin are notified of the accident. The identity of the injured pilot has not yet been disclosed.
Imperial Gables is a sparsely populated desert community about 135 miles east of San Diego in Imperial County, Calif. It’s 50 miles northwest of Yuma, Ariz., and 45 miles north of Mexicali, Mexico.
The 3rd MAW headquarters said in a statement that the helicopter was not involved in recent U.S. military activity along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The AH-1Z was only conducting a training flight in support of the Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course,” the wing said in response to questions from Stars and Stripes.
The Marines website describes the course as “a premier training program conducted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona.”
Live fire exercises for the course are sometimes held at the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range in California, just northwest of Yuma. The 495,000-acre range is managed by MCAS Yuma.
This is the second fatal crash involving a 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing helicopter since the beginning of 2024.
Three pilots and two crew chiefs were killed Feb. 6, 2024, aboard a CH-53E Super Stallion that crashed during a late-night flight near Pine Valley, Calif.
The helicopter was with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Miramar. The Super Stallion was returning from Creech Air Force Base, Nev., when the helicopter crashed. An investigation found the pilot failed to avoid the mountainous terrain, likely due to poor visibility.
