V-22s Grounded Again After Special Operations Osprey Mishap
The Navy, Marines, and Air Force have stopped or severely limited Osprey operations following a scare aboard a CV-22 out of Cannon AFB.
Howard Altman
The entire fleet of U.S. V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft has been temporarily grounded after a mishap involving an AFSOC CV-22 last month at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
Amishap on an Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft last month has led to an operational pause for the U.S. military’s fleet of the aircraft, which are operated by Marines and Navy as well. Marines are pausing all non-essential flights.
The Osprey was conducting a training mission at Cannon Air Force Base on Nov. 20 when it experienced “a material failure” that forced the crew of four to make an emergency landing, AFSOC spokesperson Lt. Col. Becky Heyse told The War Zone Monday morning. There were no known injuries or external damage to the aircraft, she added.
As they were flying, the crew started to “get indications in the cockpit to land as soon as possible,” Heyse explained. “The incident is under investigation, but the initial indications are that this was another material failure. We believe it was different than what occurred last year.”
Heyse was referring to the Nov. 29, 2023 mishap that killed all eight aboard a CV-22 operating off the coast of Japan. A subsequent investigation found that the crash was caused by “a catastrophic failure of one of the tiltrotor’s gearboxes” and “decisions made by the pilot.”
From our story about the investigation:
https://www.twz.com/air/v-22s-grounded-again-after-special-operations-osprey-mishap
