The lethal crash of a Marine V-22 Osprey in California final 12 months was attributable to mechanical failure, in line with an investigation that dominated out pilot and upkeep errors.
The greater than 400-page report launched on Friday concluded that the Marines had been doing routine flight operations when a “catastrophic, unpreventable and unanticipated mechanical failure occurred.” The Osprey crashed in a distant space close to Glamis, about 115 miles east of San Diego.
Five Marines died within the crash: Two pilots, Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, and Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California; and three crew chiefs, Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming, and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.
“The tragedy of this event is impossible to capture in words,” stated Maj. Gen. Bradford Gering, who was commander of the third Marine Aircraft Wing, in a memo hooked up to the report. “It is clear from the investigation that there was nothing the crew of SWIFT 11 could have done to anticipate or prevent this aviation mishap.”
The report additionally dominated out any points with climate, birds or different exterior components. And it concluded that there needs to be no disciplinary actions or administrative actions in opposition to any Marines.
According to the investigation, the particular explanation for the crash was a “dual hard clutch engagement” that led to engine failure. The report stated the V-22 program workplace has labored to repair the clutch issues.
Col. Brian Taylor, a program supervisor, stated whereas the foundation explanation for the clutch failure hasn’t been recognized, plenty of adjustments and gear replacements have diminished the danger of it recurring by 99%, however haven’t eradicated it.
The report notes there have been no direct witnesses to the accident in June 2022, and because of the fiery crash, the information recorder was not recovered.
As of April 2022, the Marine Corps and Navy had logged a complete of 422,165 flight hours on the Osprey since 2012. The report stated there have been 5 deadly crashes of Marine Ospreys since 2012, inflicting a complete of 16 deaths.
The investigation additionally discovered that since 2010 there have been 16 related clutch issues with the Marine Ospreys in flight. In February 2023 the Marine Corps started changing a chunk of kit on the plane, and there have been no related issues since then.
The Osprey is a hybrid plane that takes off and lands like a helicopter, however throughout flight it might rotate its propellers to a horizontal place and cruise like an airplane. Versions of the plane are flown by the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.
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