Witness Reports Seeing Flames Under Right Engine

A V-22 Osprey, part of the Marine Corps HMX-1 presidential helicopter fleet, was grounded in the middle of a ferry flight transporting White House officials. A witness reported seeing flames under the aircraft’s right engine.

The Osprey was being used to pick up White House staff and other government officials from an event in New York on November 25. The occupants deboarded the aircraft and took off on a standby Osprey to meet President Joe Biden at a “Friendsgiving” ceremony in Staten Island. One of the journalists traveling with the President claimed that a part of the Osprey, located under its right engine, was on fire.

The incident allegedly caused only a short delay to Biden’s return to Washington later that night.

On the same day, lawmakers wrote Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting that he ground the entire US military’s V-22 Osprey Fleet… again. They recommend that the aircraft remain out of service until safety and design issues are resolved. This follows a recent in-depth investigation of the Osprey’s accident record, conducted by the Associated Press.

“Given the current concerns about the safety of the V-22, the aircraft should be grounded, and should not be deployed again until the platform’s significant deficiencies are fully addressed,” the letter read.

If you’re reading this thinking that it sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it is. Last November, another Osprey carrying White House reporters and staff was forced to land after loud pops and smoke appeared.

On top of these concerns, the Osprey has been involved in at least 21 major accidents, including four fatal crashes in the last two years. Most of these can be blamed on design faults rather than human error.

Also in November 2023, the military’s entire Osprey fleet was grounded for three months trailing a crash in Japan. This killed eight service members and was traced to cracks in a critical component of the proprotor gearbox.

Ospreys have returned to service with some restrictions for the time being.

FMI: www.boeing.com/defense/v-22-osprey