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5 Marines killed in helicopter crash are identified

Nbcwashington · · 799 words · By • At
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What to know about Military Tragedy

Marine Corps has identified the five Marines who were killed after their helicopter crashed Tuesday during stormy weather in San Diego's East County.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Marine Corps has identified the five Marines who were killed after their helicopter crashed Tuesday during stormy weather in San Diego's East County.

Why it matters

They have been identified as: Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Common ground

Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/5-marines-killed-in-he…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8
schedule Pending 7
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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Claim 1: “Benjamin Moulton commissioned in the Marine Corps on March 29, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on August 1, 2023”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “The five Marines were traveling on the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, flying from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm the flight path was from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
https://www.voanews.com/a/authorities-search-for-helicopter-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The five Marines were traveling on the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, flying from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, near San Diego, when it was rep…
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/multiple-agencies-sea…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Marines were flying a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to Miramar on Tuesday, but the aircraft was later reported overdue, the official said. Pine Valley is lo…
https://www.aol.com/5-us-marines-missing-military-151404920.…
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Claim 3: “Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, was a CH-53E helicopter crew chief killed in the crash.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, was the crew chief, responsible for the safety of passengers and other cargo, as well as in-flight maintenance. He had just gotten married about a month before, his father said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/son-was-killed-marine-h…
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web search NEUTRAL — Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief Sgt. Alec Langen, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/east-county-deadly-ma…
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web search NEUTRAL — Langen, 23, was a CH-53E helicopter crew chief from Chandler, Ariz. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2017 and was promoted to sergeant in October 2022, the service said.
https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/security/2025…
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Claim 4: “Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, of Emmett, Idaho, a CH-53E helicopter pilot”
CORROBORATED
While the specific search results for claim 3 were generic dictionary/unrelated results, the evidence for claim 1 ('5 Marines killed in CH-53E helicopter crash mourned as ‘the very best’') explicitly lists Capt. Benjamin Moulton, 27, a pilot from Emmett, Idaho, as one of the deceased.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — CAPT Withdraws Endorsement of Eric Swalwell for Governor For Immediate Release: SACRAMENTO, CA — April 13, 2026 — Due to recent serious allegations, the California Association of Psychiatric Technicia…
https://www.psychtechs.net/
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web search NEUTRAL — What does the abbreviation CAPT stand for? Meaning: captain.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Capt
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web search NEUTRAL — Definition of Capt. abbreviation in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis…
schedule
Claim 5: “Miguel Nava commissioned in the Marine Corps on May 26, 2017, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on November 1, 2021”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 6: “The last known location of the helicopter came from a ping to Cal Fire's dispatch center at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a ping to Cal Fire's dispatch center at 11:30 p.m.
schedule
Claim 7: “Jack Casey commissioned in the Marine Corps on May 16, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on September 1, 2023”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “Alec Langen enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 14, 2017, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on October 1, 2022”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 9: “The flags at the State Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space will be flown at half-staff in honor of the Marines”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 10: “Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas, a CH-53E helicopter crew chief”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, 21, of Olathe, Kansas, was a CH-53E helicopter crew chief killed in the crash.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis was a crew chief for the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter that crashed during a storm in the mountains outside San Diego.One was a 21-year-old Marine from Olathe, Kansas.
https://www.ksnt.com/news/local-news/olathe-man-one-of-5-mar…
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web search NEUTRAL — They are: 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 …
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2024…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Marine Corps confirmed on Friday afternoon that Lance Cpl. Donovan Davis, a 21-year-old from Olathe, Kansas, died in the crash. Davis was a CH-53E helicopter crew chief.
https://www.kctv5.com/2024/02/09/olathe-crew-chief-among-5-m…
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Claim 11: “The helicopter was found in Pine Valley at around 9:08 a.m. Wednesday”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 12: “five Marines who were killed after their helicopter crashed Tuesday during stormy weather in San Diego's East County”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm five Marines were killed in a CH-53E helicopter crash in San Diego's East County on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, during poor weather conditions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Investigators say poor weather conditions were among the factors that led to the helicopter crash that killed five Marines in February 2024.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/08/helico…
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web search NEUTRAL — Deadly Marine helicopter crash in San Diego deemed 'pilot error' The 1,140-page investigation determined the root cause to be "pilot error" but noted the bad weather that day as a contributing ...
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/east-…
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web search NEUTRAL — More than one year later, the official investigation into the cause of the military helicopter crash that killed five Marines is complete. It happened on Feb. 6, 2024, during the CH-53E Super ...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deadly-marine-helicopte…
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Claim 13: “All were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and were based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and based at MCAS Miramar.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The U.S. Marine Corps has confirmed five U.S. Marines assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing were killed in the crash of a CH-53E Super St…
https://theaviationist.com/2024/02/07/five-u-s-marines-kille…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Marine Corps has identified the five Marines who died after a CH-53E Super Stallion crash in California earlier this week. The three pilots who perished are Capt.
https://news.usni.org/2024/02/09/marine-corps-identifies-fiv…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Marine Corps released the names on Friday of the five marines killed when their CH-53E super stallion helicopter went down in the mountains outside San Diego during a historic storm. All of them w…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/09/names-marines-…
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Claim 14: “Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan, a CH-53E helicopter pilot”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan, was a CH-53E helicopter pilot killed in the crash.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, was identified as one of five Marines who were killed Tuesday, Feb. 6, in a helicopter crash during a “routine flight training” in San Diego, California, the M…
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/MIGUEL_J._NAVA,_CAPT,…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nava, 28, was a CH-53E helicopter pilot from Traverse City, Mich. He was the longest tenured of the five fallen Marines. He was commissioned in May 2017 and promoted to captain in November 2021. His d…
https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/security/2025…
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web search NEUTRAL — Capt. Miguel Nava, 28, of Traverse City, Michigan was named by the military on Friday as being aboard the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter that crashed in the mountains near San Diego during what has …
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/traverse-city-man-identifie…
help
Claim 15: “They had been conducting unit-level training in Vegas before their return”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the specific nature of the training (unit-level training in Vegas).
schedule
Claim 16: “Donovan Davis enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 3, 2019, and was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on January 1, 2024”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 17: “Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire, a CH-53E helicopter pilot”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire, was a CH-53E helicopter pilot killed in the crash.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Capt. Jack Casey, 26, of Dover, New Hampshire, was part of a group on a training flight in a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter late Tuesday night during a storm.Casey was one of three CH-53E helicopter…
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/jack-casey-dover-new-ham…
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web search NEUTRAL — Casey, 26, was a CH-53E helicopter pilot from Dover, N.H. He was commissioned in May 2019 and promoted to captain in September 2023, according to the service. His decorations include the National Defe…
https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/security/2025…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Capt. Jack Casey of Dover, New Hampshire, was one of the five killed in the helicopter crash. The Marine Corps released the names Friday of the five Marines killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion hel…
https://www.nhpr.org/ap-news/2024-02-09/dover-nh-man-one-of-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.