Marine helicopter catches fire, makes emergency landing

No injuries were reported when a Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter made an emergency landing Wednesday in Okinawa – the latest in a series of Marine aviation mishaps.

The helicopter was forced to land when a fire broke out during flight, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing announced on Wednesday. The CH-53E touched down on a field outside the Northern Training Area and local first responders quickly extinguished the fire.

No information was immediately available Wednesday about what may have caused the fire or how many Marines were aboard the helicopter at the time.

“The cause of this incident is under investigation and there is limited information at this time,” a wing news release says.

The incident comes less than three weeks after two service members were injured when a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crashed in Syria.

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By Jeff Schogol

In August, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller ordered all Marine squadrons to suspend flight operations for 24 hours following a July 10 KC-130T crash that killed 15 Marines and one sailor, and an Aug. 5 MV-22B crash that killed three Marines.

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