Inquiry Finds Pilot Error Caused Incident During Takeoff

Japan’s fleet of tiltrotor V-22 Ospreys have been cleared to resume operations after they were grounded last month following an incident in which one tilted and hit the ground on takeoff.

The aircraft was participating in a joint exercise with the U.S. military on October 27, 2024, and was carrying 16 people at the time. The aircraft “became unstable” during takeoff from a Japanese base on Yonaguni, a remote island southwest of Okinawa. The takeoff was aborted safely and there were no injuries according to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).

An internal investigation found that the pilots had failed to turn on a switch to temporarily increase engine output during takeoff. The lack of takeoff power caused the aircraft to descend and sway uncontrollably.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said that the investigation determined the incident was caused by human error, not by “physical or external factors.”

This was the first major incident involving Japan’s V-22s since the crash of a U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft off the southern coast of Japan which resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. personnel. The cause of that crash has been linked to the failure of a pinion gear in the main gear box and the pilot’s subsequent poor decision to continue the flight rather than land as specified in procedures for the aircraft.

Japan’s V-22 fleet just resumed flying this year but use of the Osprey remains controversial, especially in Okinawa where residents question its safety record. Okinawa is home to about 25,000 U.S. troops based in Japan.

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