By Investigation Reveals Materiel Failure as Cause of Tragedy
The military has decided to ground all Osprey V-22 helicopters following a tragic incident that claimed the lives of eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members off the coast of Japan. This unprecedented move, which includes grounding hundreds of aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, comes after a preliminary investigation concluded that a materiel failure was responsible for the fatal crash.
Renowned for its involvement in several other fatal accidents during its relatively short time in service, the safety of the Osprey is now being called into question once again. Following the recent crash, Japan also made the decision to ground its fleet of 14 Ospreys.
Head of Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, has ordered a temporary standdown to minimize risk while the investigation into the crash continues. A statement from the command explained, “Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time.”
In a separate announcement, Naval Air Systems Command declared that all Ospreys would be grounded. This command is responsible for overseeing both Marine Corps and Navy variants of the aircraft.
We eagerly await further updates on this ongoing investigation in order to ensure the highest level of safety for military operations involving Osprey V-22 helicopters.
Air Force Grounds Osprey Aircraft After Crash in Japan
The Air Force has announced that it is currently unknown how long the aircraft will be grounded following a recent crash in Japan. A standdown is expected to remain in place until the investigation can determine the cause of the incident and make recommendations for the fleet to return to operations.
The U.S.-made Osprey is a cutting-edge hybrid aircraft with the ability to take off and land like a helicopter, while also being capable of rotating its propellers forward and cruising at high speeds during flight. Currently, Air Force Special Operations Command has 51 Ospreys, with the U.S. Marine Corps operating more than 400 and the U.S. Navy utilizing 27.
Despite its innovative design, the Osprey is still relatively young in the military’s fleet, having become operational only in 2007 after extensive testing. Unfortunately, there have been several accidents involving the aircraft, resulting in the loss of over 50 troops who were either conducting training flights or flight testing. In the past 20 months alone, there have been four crashes leading to 20 fatalities.
One such accident occurred in August in Australia, claiming the lives of three Marines. The investigation into this incident is also ongoing.
Comments