The US military grounded its entire fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after a crash last week off the coast of Japan killed eight people onboard, Reuters reported. The decision to ground the aircraft was made amid concerns about the safety of the Boeing and Bell Helicopter-developed Osprey. Japan has also grounded its fleet of 14 Osprey aircraft.
Citing the need to "mitigate risk while the investigation continues" into the November 29 crash, the Air Force Special Operations Command decided to ground the fleet. Preliminary investigation pointed to a potential material failure as the cause behind the crash, Reuters reported.
A V-22 Osprey aircraft crashed during a training mission off Yakushima Island near Tokyo, killing eight American service members. Eyewitnesses near the accident site said the aircraft flipped over and was on fire before crashing offshore.
The hybrid V-22 Osprey aircraft, known for its unique ability to take off and land like a helicopter as well as operate as an aircraft with a propeller, has been involved in three fatal accidents in just over a year.
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Around 400 of these transport aircraft have been acquited by the US Air Force, Marines, and Navy. After the crash, Japan had urged the US military to take precautionary measures within its Japanese bases. Initially, the US suspended flights from the affected unit but continued operations after safety checks on other Ospreys.
Grounding an entire fleet after fatal accidents is not uncommon in the US military.
According to the Flight Safety Foundation, over 50 personnel have lost their lives in accidents involving the V-22 Osprey. Despite entering service in 2007, more than 20 fatalities have occurred post-deployment, including one in August when three US Marines were killed in an accident in northern Australia. In 2022, four others lost their lives in Norway when their CV-22 crashed during a NATO training flight.