Vern Evans
The Marine Corps has fired a West Coast helicopter squadron commander nine months after a fatal CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crash in California that remains under investigation.
Maj. Gen. James B. Wellons, commander of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, relieved Lt. Col. Nicholas J. Harvey of command of the Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, known as the “Flying Tigers,” on Nov. 18 “due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue to serve in that position,” according to a statement provided by the 3rd MAW to Marine Corps Times on Tuesday.
The statement didn’t elaborate on why Harvey was dismissed.
On Feb. 6, a CH-53E assigned to the Miramar, California-based squadron crashed while conducting a routine training flight from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, to the unit’s home base at Marine Corps Station Miramar.
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The aircraft went down in the mountains of San Diego County, and it took until the following day for civil authorities to locate the crash site, Marine Corps Times previously reported.
The crash killed all five Marines aboard the helicopter: Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, a crew chief from Olathe, Kansas; Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, a crew chief from Chandler, Arizona; Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, a pilot from Emmett, Idaho; Capt. Jack Casey, 26, a pilot from Dover, New Hampshire; and Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, a pilot from Traverse City, Michigan.
A career aviator, Harvey was frocked from major to lieutenant colonel and served as the MAG-24 executive officer prior to taking command of the squadron in January 2023. He received his promotion to lieutenant colonel in March 2021.
Harvey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lt. Col. Kyleigh Cullen took command of the squadron the day Harvey was relieved.
“The investigation into the Feb. 6, 2024, HMH-361 CH-53E mishap is ongoing,” Maj. Natalie Batcheler, 3rd MAW spokeswoman, told Marine Corps Times in a statement.
A redacted crash report will be released to the public when the investigation concludes, Batcheler said.
Primarily, the heavy helicopter squadron contains 16 CH-53E Super Stallions, which are tasked with moving personnel and gear ashore in assault operations. The unit also supports the larger air-ground task force mission of the Marine Corps.
On the day of the crash, an unseasonably intense storm slammed the region. Some family members of the fallen have criticized the service for allowing the helicopter to fly in those conditions.
“Maybe this is the one instance to where they wake the f–k up and they say, ‘What are we doing to our service members? We’ve got to stop this.’” Steven Langen, father of the late Sgt. Alec Langen, told the New York Post in the weeks following his son’s death.
The Marine Corps has not released any details on the cause of the crash.
Harvey spoke at a Feb. 16 memorial held for the fallen Marines at Miramar, during which more than 550 Marines, family and friends gathered to pay tribute to the men.
“There are no words that can express the pain that one feels when losing a loved one — a fellow Marine, a nephew, a brother, a son, a husband, a father,” Harvey said. “We can feel the presence of everyone in this hangar today, and that speaks volumes to the love, kinship, and brotherhood we share with our fallen Marines.”
Harvey is currently assigned to Marine Aircraft Group-16 out of San Diego, California, according to Batcheler.
He received his commission in 2004. He reported to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 in 2008, deploying with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to Japan and Afghanistan.
Harvey has deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response 17.2, as well as other operational deployments, according to his official biography, which has been removed from the 3rd MAW website.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Strike/Flight Numeral 6, Joint Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal 2nd award and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal 3rd award.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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