US military grounds all V-22 Osprey aircraft in wake of deadly crash

In the wake of the deadly crash off the coast of Japan last week and calls from Japan’s military to halt all Osprey flights, the U.S. military has grounded its entire fleet of hybrid aircraft. The announcement on Wednesday, Dec. 6, comes just a week after eight U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command service members were killed in a crash during an Osprey training flight.

According to Japanese officials, on Nov. 29, a V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed near the island of Yakushima around 2:45 p.m. local time. U.S. and Japanese officials say the aircraft belonged to Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo

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Following last week’s crash, Japan’s military temporarily grounded its fleet of Ospreys and asked the U.S. military to halt Osprey flights in the country until safety inspections were conducted.

Hundreds of the Osprey aircraft across the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps are now grounded as the preliminary investigation into the crash indicates a material failure — something went wrong with the aircraft — led to the crash and not an error by the crew. Japan’s military had already grounded its small fleet of 14 Ospreys.

Reuters reports, according to the Flight Safety Foundation, at least 50 military personnel have been killed in crashes involving the aircraft. 

In August, during a routine training exercise, an Osprey carrying 23 marines crashed in Australia resulting in three deaths. Osprey aircraft have been involved in at least five fatal crashes involving the U.S. Marines since 2012.