Eight special ops service members recently died in a helicopter crash.
The Department of Defense announced the grounding of its Osprey V-22 helicopter fleet Wednesday after an Air Force CV-22 on a routine training mission crashed off the coast of Japan last week, killing all eight Air Force Special Operations Command members on board.
The operational standdown by the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps follows a preliminary investigation into that crash that indicated a material failure. The crash renewed questions about the Osprey’s safety, particularly since three other fatal crashes have occurred in 2023.
Lt. General Tony Bauernfeind, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, directed the standdown “to mitigate risk while the investigation continues,” the command stated. “Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time.”
It is not known how long the aircraft will be grounded, but they will remain so pending investigation and while recommendations are made that would make modifications allowing the fleet to return to operation.
The Air Force has 51 Ospreys, the Marines as many as 400, while the Navy operates 27.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the secretaries of the Air Force and Navy as they oversee investigations into the Osprey aircraft’s defects.
- For General Bauernfeind as he heads the Air Force Special Operations Command.
- That God would comfort the military spouses and families who have lost loved ones in these crashes.
Sources: Washington Times, Military.com, CNN
