Osprey pilot, flight engineer to earn posthumous awards for 2010 crash
By Courtney Mabeus-Brown
Mar 12, 06:01 PM
Two Air Force special operations commandos will be posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross nearly 14 years after the CV-22 Osprey they were flying crashed in southeastern Afghanistan.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall authorized a review of the award after more details came to light about the actions of Maj. Randell Voas, 43, and Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey, 45, who died in April 2010 when their tiltrotor Osprey suffered an “unknown mechanical mishap,” according to Air Force Special Operations Command. Both men were assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
In a March 6 release, Air Force Special Operations Command credited Voas, the Osprey’s pilot and flight lead, and Lackey, the aircraft’s flight engineer, for their “superior airmanship” while the aircraft went down, also killing an Army Ranger and a civilian contractor. Sixteen other passengers on the Osprey were injured, including the aircraft’s co-pilot and tail scanner.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2024/03/12/osprey-pilot-flight-engineer-to-earn-posthumous-awards-for-2010-crash/
