The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American military tiltrotor aircraft whose history of accidents have provoked concerns about its safety. The aircraft was developed by Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters; the companies work together to manufacture and support the aircraft.
, 16 V-22 Ospreys have been damaged beyond repair in accidents that have killed a total of 62 people. Four crashes killed a total of 30 people during testing from 1991 to 2000.[1] Since the V-22 became operational in 2007, 12 crashes, including two in combat zones, and several other accidents and incidents have killed a total of 32 people.[2]
Most crashes have been with the most common of the three variants of the tiltrotor, the MV-22B, procured and flown by the US Marine Corps. A handful of crashes have been with the CV-22B, flown by US Air Force Special Operations Command. No crashes have yet occurred with the newest carrier onboard delivery variant, the CMV-22B, flown by the US Navy.
On 11 June 1991, a miswired flight control system led to two minor injuries when the left nacelle struck the ground while the aircraft was hovering 15feet in the air, causing it to bounce and catch fire at the New Castle County Airport in Delaware.[1] [3] [4] The pilot, Grady Wilson, suspected that he may have accidentally set the throttle lever the opposite direction to that intended, exacerbating the crash if not causing it.[5]
On 20 July 1992, pre-production V-22 #4's right engine failed and caused the aircraft to drop into the Potomac River by Marine Corps Base Quantico with an audience of Department of Defense and industry officials.[6] [7] [8] Flammable liquids collected in the right nacelle and led to an engine fire and subsequent failure. All seven on board were killed and the V-22 fleet was grounded for 11 months following the accident.[1] [9] [10] A titanium firewall now protects the composite propshaft.[11]
See main article: 2000 Marana V-22 crash. A V-22 loaded with Marines, to simulate a rescue, attempted to land at Marana Northwest Regional Airport in Arizona on 8 April 2000. It descended faster than normal (over 2000disp=orNaNdisp=or) from an unusually high altitude with a forward speed of under 45mph when it suddenly stalled its right rotor at 245feet, rolled over, crashed, and exploded, killing all 19 on board.[12] [13]
The cause was determined to be vortex ring state (VRS), a fundamental limitation on vertical descent which is common to helicopters. At the time of the mishap, the V-22's flight operations rules restricted the Osprey to a descent rate of 800ft/min at airspeeds below 40kn (restrictions typical of helicopters); the crew of the accident aircraft had descended at over twice this rate.[14] Another factor that may have triggered VRS was the operation of multiple aircraft in close proximity, also believed to be a risk factor for VRS in helicopters.[1]
Subsequent testing showed that the V-22 and other tiltrotors are generally less susceptible to VRS than helicopters; VRS entry is more easily recognized, recovery is more intuitive for the pilot, altitude loss is significantly less, and, with sufficient altitude (2000disp=orNaNdisp=or or more), VRS recovery is relatively easy. The V-22 has a safe descent envelope as large as or larger than most helicopters, further enhancing its ability to enter and depart hostile landing zones quickly and safely. The project team also dealt with the problem by adding a simultaneous warning light and voice that says "Sink Rate" when the V-22 approaches half of the VRS-vulnerable descent rate.[1]
On 11 December 2000, a V-22 had a flight control error and crashed near Jacksonville, North Carolina at Marine Corps Air Station New River, killing all four aboard. A vibration-induced chafing from an adjacent wiring bundle caused a leak in the hydraulic line, which fed the primary side of the swashplate actuators to the right side rotor blade controls. The leak caused a Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) alert. A previously-undiscovered error in the aircraft's control software caused it to decelerate in response to each of the pilot's eight attempts to reset the software as a result of the PFCS alert. The uncontrollable aircraft fell 1600feet and crashed in a forest. The wiring harnesses and hydraulic line routing in the nacelles were subsequently modified. This caused the Marine Corps to ground its fleet of eight V-22s, the second grounding in 2000.[1] [15] [16]
A MV-22B experienced an uncommanded engine acceleration while turning on the ground at Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC. Since the aircraft regulates power turbine speed with blade pitch, the reaction caused the aircraft to go airborne with the Torque Control Lever (TCL, or throttle) at idle. The aircraft rose 6feetto7feetft (toft) into the air (initial estimates suggested 20 to 30 feet) and then fell to the ground, causing damage to its starboard wing; the damage was valued at approximately US$7 million.[17] [18] It was later found that a miswired cannon plug to one of the engine's two Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC) was the cause. The FADEC software was also modified to decrease the time needed for switching between the redundant FADECs to eliminate the possibility of a similar mishap occurring in the future.[19] The aircraft was found to be damaged beyond repair and stricken from Navy's list in July 2009.[20] [21]
In April 2010, a CV-22 crashed near the city of Qalat in Zabul Province, Afghanistan.[22] Three US service members and one civilian were killed and 16 injured in the crash. Initially, it was unclear if the accident was caused by enemy fire.[23] [24] The loaded CV-22B was at its hovering capability limit, landing at night near Qalat (altitude approx. 5,000 feet) in brownout conditions, in turbulence due to the location in a gully.[25] [26] The USAF investigation ruled out brownout conditions, enemy fire, and vortex ring state as causes. The investigation found several factors that significantly contributed to the crash: these include low visibility, a poorly-executed approach, loss of situational awareness, and a high descent rate.[27]
Brig. Gen. Donald Harvel, board president of the first investigation into the crash, fingered the "unidentified contrails" during the last 17 seconds of flight as indications of engine troubles.[28] Harvel has become a critic of the aircraft since his retirement and states that his retirement was placed on hold for two years to silence him from speaking publicly about his concerns about the aircraft's safety.[29] The actual causes of the crash may never be known because US military aircraft destroyed the wreckage and black box recorder.[30] Former USAF chief V-22 systems engineer Eric Braganca stated that the V-22's engines normally emit puffs of smoke and the data recorders showed that the engines were operating normally at that time.[31]
An MV-22B belonging to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, VMM-261 was participating in Exercise African Lion when it crashed near Tan-Tan and Agadir, Morocco, on 11 April 2012, killing two Marines. Two others were seriously injured, and the aircraft was lost.[32] [33] [34] U.S. investigators found no mechanical flaw with the aircraft,[35] and human error was determined to be the cause.[36]
On 13 June 2012, a USAF CV-22B crashed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida during training. All five aboard were injured;[37] two were released from the hospital shortly after.[38] The aircraft came to rest upside-down and received major damage.[39] The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error, with the CV-22 flying through the proprotor wash of another aircraft.[40] The USAF restarted formation flight training in response.[41]
An MV-22B Osprey participating in a training exercise at Bellows Air Force Station, Oahu, Hawaii, sustained a hard landing which killed two Marines and injured 20.[42] The aircraft sustained fuselage damage and a fire onboard.[43] [44] The aircraft was determined to have suffered dust intake to the right engine, leading the Marine Corps to recommend improved air filters, and reduced allowed hover time in dust from 60 to 30 seconds.[45] [46]
On 13 December 2016 at 10:00p.m., an MV-22B crashed while landing onto a reef in shallow water 0.6miles off the Okinawa coastline of Camp Schwab where the aircraft broke apart. All five crew members aboard with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were rescued. Two crew members were injured, and all were transported for treatment. Ospreys in Japan were grounded the following day.[47] [48] [49] An investigation into the mishap was launched.[50] Preliminary reports indicated that, during in-flight refueling with a HC-130, the refueling hose was struck by the Osprey's rotor blades.[51] On 18 December, after a review of MV-22B safety procedures, the III Marine Expeditionary Force (IIIMEF) announced that it would resume flight operations, concluding that they were confident that the mishap was due "solely to the aircraft's rotor blades coming into contact with the refueling line."[52]
An MV-22B Osprey assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, VMM-265, crashed in Shoalwater Bay, Australia on 5 August 2017, killing three Marines. The tiltrotor struck the and crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from amphibious assault ship . 23 personnel were recovered from the stricken aircraft, with three confirmed dead.[53] [54] [55] [56] [57]
An MV-22B Osprey operating in Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve was damaged beyond repair in a hard landing on 28 September 2017.[58] Two people on board the aircraft were injured.[59] [60] [61] The non–salvageable Osprey burned shortly after the crash.[62]
An MV-22B Osprey participating in NATO exercise Cold Response crashed in Gråtådalen, a valley in Beiarn, Norway on 18 March 2022, killing all four Marines onboard.[63] [64] [65] The crew were confirmed dead shortly after Norwegian authorities discovered the crash site.[66] Investigators concluded that the causal factor of the crash was pilot error due to low altitude steep bank angle maneuvers exceeding the aircraft's normal operating envelope.[67] Investigators noted that an unauthorized personal GoPro video camera was found at the crash site and was in use at the time of the crash. "Such devices are prohibited on grounds that they can incentivize risktaking and serve as a distraction; that may have been the case with Ghost 31," the report reads.[68]
An MV-22B Osprey belonging to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed near Glamis, California, on 8 June 2022, killing all five Marines onboard. Among the fatalities was Captain John J. Sax, son of the former Major League Baseball player and LA Dodger Steve Sax.[69] The accident investigation determined that the crash was caused by a dual hard clutch engagement causing catastrophic malfunction of the aircraft's gearbox that lead to drive system failures.[70] From 2010 to the time of the crash, there had been 16 similar clutch issues on Marine Ospreys.[71] Initial reports erroneously claimed that nuclear material were onboard the aircraft at the time of the crash.[72] [73] [74]
An MV-22B Osprey belonging to 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, VMM-363 crashed on Melville Island, Australia on 27 August 2023, killing three Marines. The accident occurred while the aircraft was participating in "Predators Run 2023", a joint military exercise involving 2,500 personnel from Australia, the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste.[75] The aircraft was carrying 23 U.S. Marines,[76] of whom three were killed at the crash scene on the large island in the Timor Sea, 60 km north of Darwin, while another five were flown to a hospital in critical condition.
A CV-22B Osprey assigned to the US Air Force's 353rd Special Operations Wing crashed into the East China Sea about one kilometer (0.6 mile) off Yakushima Island, Japan, on 29 November 2023, killing all eight airmen aboard. The Osprey, based at Yokota Air Base in Western Tokyo, was flying from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa in clear weather and light winds. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft flying inverted with flames engulfing the aircraft's left nacelle before an explosion occurred and the aircraft subsequently crashed in waters east of the island near Yakushima Airport. An Air Force investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.[77] [78] [79] [80] Japan grounded its fleet of 14 Ospreys after the crash. The US Air Force grounded all of its CV-22 Ospreys one week later.[81] The US Navy and Marines grounded their fleets of V-22 Ospreys pending the outcome of the CV-22 investigation.[82]
On 3 January 2024 it was announced that the Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders had been located and would be transported to laboratories for data retrieval, a process that would take several weeks. Seven of the eight remains of the airmen had been recovered and publicly identified, but search efforts were still underway for the remains of the eighth.[83]
In early March 2024 the US and Japan resumed flights of the V-22 with revised maintenance and pilot training focuses but no changes to the aircraft.[84] [85] The V-22 was returned to flight with no changes, but part that failed was identified and how it failed identified, although the accident was still under scrutiny.[86]
A V-22 experienced compressor stalls in its right engine in the middle of its first transatlantic flight to the United Kingdom for the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Airshow on 11 July 2006.[87] It had to be diverted to Iceland for maintenance. A week later it was announced that other V-22s had been having compressor surges and stalls, and the Navy launched an investigation into it.[88]
It was reported that a serious nacelle fire occurred on a Marine MV-22 at New River in December 2006.[89]
A V-22 experienced a hydraulic leak that led to an engine-compartment fire before takeoff on 29 March 2007.[90]
An MV-22 Osprey of VMMT-204 caught on fire during a training mission and was forced to make an emergency landing at Camp Lejeune on 6 November 2007. The fire, which started in one of the engine nacelles, caused significant aircraft damage, but no injuries.[91]
After an investigation, it was determined that a design flaw with the engine air particle separator (EAPS) caused it to jam in flight, causing a shock wave in the hydraulics system and subsequent leaks. Hydraulic fluid leaked into the IR suppressors and was the cause of the nacelle fires. As a result, all Block A V-22 aircraft were placed under flight restrictions until modification kits could be installed. No fielded Marine MV-22s were affected, as those Block B aircraft already incorporated the modification.[92]
An Air Force CV-22 suffered a Class A mishap with more than $1 million in damage during FY 2009. No details were released.[93]
On 7 July 2011, an MV-22 crew chief from VMM-264 squadron fell nearly 200feet to his death in southwestern Afghanistan.[94]
In early October 2014, an MV-22 Osprey lost power shortly after takeoff from the . The aircraft splashed down in the Arabian Sea and was briefly partially submerged 4feet before the pilots regained control and landed on the carrier deck. One marine drowned after his life preserver failed to inflate when he bailed out of the aircraft. The accident was attributed to the aircraft being accidentally started in maintenance mode, which reduces engine power by a fifth.[95]
On 29 January 2017, an MV-22 experienced a hard landing during the Yakla raid in Al Bayda, Yemen against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants, causing two injuries to U.S. troops. The aircraft could not fly afterward and was destroyed by U.S. airstrikes.[96] [97] [98]