Downed Aircraft Carried NO Nuclear Material 

The Marine Corps has confirmed that all five Marines aboard an MV-22B Osprey that went down near Glamis, CA—a small town between El Centro, CA and Yuma, AZ—have perished. 

The aircraft, which was lost during an 08 June training mission, was assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Camp Pendleton, California. 

The Marine Corps has confirmed that contrary to initial social media reports, there was no nuclear material onboard the aircraft. The service states recovery efforts have begun and an investigation is underway. “We ask for the public's patience as we work diligently with first responders and the unit to identify what occurred,” a USMC spokesperson said after the accident. 

Concerns that the aircraft was carrying nuclear materials derive of radio transmissions during which first responders alluded to having to be cautious around the accident-site because of “radioactive materials.”

Social media posts indicate rescue teams from the nearby Naval Air Facility El Centro, along with country firefighters, responded to the accident.

The crash is the second fatal Osprey accident for the Corps this year, and brings renewed attention to the craft’s troubled development.

In March, an Osprey participating in military exercises went down near Bodo, Norway, killing four Marines. The aircraft was based out of Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina. Initial reports suggested weather may have been a factor.

Although these latest crashes are the first deadly incidents with the aircraft since 2017, they evoke memories of the thirty lives lost in four Osprey accidents between 1991 and 2006. In all, the V-22 Osprey has suffered 13 hull-loss accidents with a total loss of life of 46 souls. 

Grim statistics notwithstanding, the Osprey has effectively served the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy in myriad combat, rescue, and humanitarian missions. In October 2019, the fleet of 375 V-22s operated by the U.S. Armed Forces surpassed the 500,000 flight hour mark.

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