US Military Grounds Entire Osprey Fleet After Deadly Training Crash in Japan

An Osprey aircraft flies during preview day for the MCAS Miramar Airshow on Sept. 26, 2019, in San Diego. Eduardo Contreras/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS Via The Epoch Times

The U.S. military is grounding the United States’ entire fleet of CV-22 Osprey aircraft following last week’s deadly U.S. Air Force crash off the coast of Japan’s Yakushima Island that left eight airmen dead.

All variants of the Osprey flown by the Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy are being grounded as part of an operational standdown.

Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the commander of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), said in a Dec. 6 statement that he had directed an immediate “operational standdown” of the Air Force’s Osprey fleet until an investigation of the incident is concluded. Meanwhile, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) also said on Dec. 6 it was grounding the Navy and Marine Corps’ V-22s out of “an abundance of caution” as the crash is under review.

“The standdown will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force CV-22 fleet returns to flight operations,” Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind said.

According to Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind, the underlying cause of the crash in Japan is still unknown at this time. However, it has been suggested during a preliminary investigation that a “potential material failure” is at fault.

Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind provided no additional information about the incident or when the Osprey fleet might return to service. Further updates will be made as they become available, he said.

“While the mishap remains under investigation, we are implementing additional risk mitigation controls to ensure the safety of our service members,” the federal agency said.

“The Joint Program Office continues to communicate and collaborate with all V-22 stakeholders and customers, including allied partners.”

Japan had asked the U.S. military to ground all Osprey aircraft not engaged in emergency recovery operations following the Nov. 29 training mission crash. At the same time, Senior Japanese Defense Ministry official Taro Yamato announced all 14 of its Ospreys had been temporarily grounded.

Crashes involving the Osprey, which takes off, lands, and hovers like a helicopter but flies like a fixed-wing plane, have plagued the U.S. military for years. A fatal crash that killed three in August led to the Marines ordering a safety review of the aircraft.

The fleet was also grounded earlier this year following another incident. Last year, AFSOC ordered a temporary stand-down of its Osprey fleet following safety incidents where the clutch slipped, causing an uneven power distribution to the rotors.