Marine Osprey Accident Due To Errors During Near-Midair | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-02.10.25

Airborne-NextGen-02.11.25

Airborne-Unlimited-02.12.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-02.13.25

Airborne-Unlimited-02.07.25

Tue, Aug 13, 2024

Marine Osprey Accident Due To Errors During Near-Midair

Fatal Australian Crash One Of Four In Two Years Heightens Scrutiny

A military investigation has concluded that the fatal crash of a Marine V-22 Osprey in August 2023 was due to pilot errors during a midair near-miss. It also found that the squadron involved had issues that permitted a lax culture regarding flight safety.

Two pilots were fatally injured in the accident and a third, the crew chief, was killed when he “heroically reentered the burning cockpit of the aircraft in an attempt to rescue the trapped pilots.”

The crash was one of four involving fatalities in the past two years that have once again stirred the interest of Congress over the Osprey, which has been an important asset for combat and special ops missions but is one of the most complex aircraft to fly and maintain. It also has a troubling history of accidents. In addition to the aircraft aspect, the investigation also brought attention to significant safety concerns within the squadron. In fact, investigators recommended possible administrative action against the squadron’s former commander for permitting “a culture that disregarded safety of flight procedures.” They also recommended possible disciplinary action for a senior maintenance officer for dereliction of duty and falsifying the aircraft’s weight and balance form. 

The form should also have been reviewed by the aircraft’s commander but apparently this was not done.

The proximal cause of the accident itself was due to the lead Osprey in a two-ship trailing formation reducing power without informing the trail aircraft. The pilot of the trailing accident aircraft was slow to recognize the rapidly closing gap and the commander, who was the IP, failed to correctly assess the situation or take the controls until it became clear that a steep bank was needed to avoid a mid-air collision. A series of steep banks placed the Osprey into a stall which became unrecoverable and the aircraft went down nose first. The 19 Marines in the back all survived but the two pilots and crew chief were fatally injured.

FMI: www.marines.mil

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: SlipStream International Genesis

Airplane Veered Left Of The Runway And Struck Trees Before It Came To Rest In A Grass Area Analysis: The student pilot was conducting a solo flight when he was unable to keep the a>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (02.12.25): Navigable Airspace

Navigable Airspace Airspace at and above the minimum flight altitudes prescribed in the CFRs including airspace needed for safe takeoff and landing.>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (02.12.25)

Aero Linx: Great Alaska Aviation Gathering At the Alaska Airmen's Association, we're more than just a community; we're a vibrant, passion-driven movement dedicated to safeguarding,>[...]

Aero-FAQ: Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories -- ITBOA BNITBOB

Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories ITBOA BNITBOB ... what does that mean? It's not gibberish, it's a lengthy acronym for "In The Business Of Aviation ... But Not In The Busine>[...]

Airborne 02.07.25: ERAU Buys NX Cubs, Able Flight's 100th, DCA Video Arrest

Also: $7B Embraer Buy, Tariff Pause, Air Tour Safety Committee, 1st CA SkyCourier Embry Riddle Aeronautical University recently announced that its flight team, the Golden Eagles, w>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC