- The Osprey aircraft used for U.S. military operations has been approved to resume flying following a widespread grounding following a fatal accident in Japan.
- The crash led to the entire Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy fleets grounding Osprey operations.
- Before allowing the Osprey to fly, authorities implemented new safety measures centered on maintenance inspections.
The Osprey, the mainstay of the U.S. military’s mission, has been cleared to resume flight after an “unprecedented” component failure killed eight members in a crash in Japan in November, Naval Air Systems said. The command made the announcement on Friday.
This was the second fatal accident in recent months and the fourth in the past two years. It quickly led to an unprecedented fleet-wide grounding of hundreds of Ospreys across the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy.
Before getting approval for the Osprey, which can fly like an airplane and then convert into a helicopter, officials are paying more attention to the Proproter gearbox and putting new restrictions on how it can fly. He added maintenance inspections and requirements to give confidence. Return to flight safely.
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The entire fleet was grounded on December 6, just one week after a CV-22B Osprey crashed off the coast of Yakushima, killing eight Air Force Special Operations Command members.
Flight Deck 2nd Class Nicholas Hawkins signals the MV-22 Osprey to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, May 17, 2019. The Osprey, an aircraft vital to the U.S. military’s mission, has returned to flight after an “unprecedented” component failure killed eight members in a crash in Japan in November, Naval Air Systems Command said. announced on Friday. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Amber Smalley/U.S. Navy, via AP, File)
Officials briefing reporters on Wednesday ahead of the lifting of flight restrictions said the crash caused parts of the Osprey to malfunction in a way not previously seen on tiltrotor aircraft. As a result, the entire squadron was immediately grounded in December.
Officials did not identify specific parts because the Air Force’s investigation into the crash is not yet complete, but said they now have a better, if not complete, understanding of what caused the failure.
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“This is the first time we’ve seen this particular component fail in this way,” said Marine Corps Col. Brian Taylor, V-22 joint program manager at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). This is unprecedented.” Responsible for his V-22 program throughout the service.
But the Pentagon’s decision to resume flights before a separate Congressional investigation into the Osprey program was completed drew criticism from the chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
“Despite not providing oversight committees and the American public with answers about the safety of this aircraft, the Pentagon is lifting the grounding order for the Osprey,” said Representative James Comer, R-Kentucky. ” he said. “Serious concerns remain, including the liability measures taken to prevent crashes, the overall lack of transparency, the way maintenance and operational sustainment is prioritized, and the way the Department of Defense assesses risk.”
A former Osprey pilot familiar with the investigation confirmed that the part in question is part of the Pro Protor gearbox. This gearbox is a critical system that includes gears and clutches that connect to the rotor to spin the Osprey’s engine.
Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, said Wednesday that the military is conducting a “thorough investigation” of the Pro Promoter gearbox and that the new safety measures “address the issues that emerged from that disaster. I will do it,” he said. .
“We are confident that we now have enough knowledge to return to flight,” he said.
The entire gearbox system on the Pro Proter is a recurring pain point for the Osprey. According to operational safety data obtained by The Associated Press, Marine Corps and Air Force Ospreys have experienced problems such as sudden power surges, sudden loss of oil pressure due to leaks, engine fires or chips, and metal parts in the gearbox that can sometimes become dangerous. It has been shown that dozens of cases of release have occurred. Chip – The gearbox of the ProProtor may be damaged during flight, possibly requiring an emergency landing.
Other components of the Proproter gearbox, such as the sprag clutch and input quill assembly, have been a factor in previous crashes, and the service has made changes such as replacing these parts more frequently.
According to Bauanfeind, the service team is also looking into the materials and manufacturing methods of the failed parts. NAVAIR is also performing further testing to provide the service with more details as to why the component failed.
“A single component failed with catastrophic consequences,” Bauanfeind said.
He said some of the operational safety controls currently in place on the Osprey could be relaxed once the trials are complete “to increase the flexibility of the platform.”
The investigation, known as the Accident Investigation Commission, will be public and is expected to be completed within the next two months.
The ProProtor’s gearbox failure was first reported by NBC News.
The Japanese government has also been briefed on the findings and the military’s plans to address the issue, the officials said. After the crash, Japan also grounded 14 Ospreys.
The crew has not flown for more than 90 days now, making it even more dangerous for the crew to return to flight. The military announced Wednesday that the Osprey squadron is taking a cautious approach to retraining its crew before returning to normal flight operations, which could take anywhere from 30 days to several months.
The Osprey has been in development for 40 years, but began operation in 2007. The U.S. military has flown the Osprey for about 750,000 hours, relying on its ability to quickly fly long distances like an airplane and then convert to a helicopter to conduct operations. In the Middle East and Africa, some Marine Corps squadrons received exemptions from the no-fly rule because they are so critical to the mission.
Needed to counter China in the future, the military plans to use Ospreys in the Indo-Pacific to operate across islands that lack the airfields needed for conventional aircraft.
However, it is also the first generation design of controversial military tiltrotor technology, with more than 14 major accidents recorded resulting in 59 deaths and, in some cases, loss of aircraft, and the cost remains uncertain. It will cost between $70 million and $90 million depending on the price. About variants.
None of the services plans to place new production orders for the V-22, which will be produced by the Bell Flight-Boeing joint venture. The Army has signed a contract with Bell Flight to purchase the Bell V-280 Valor, a replacement for the Osprey. It is a tiltrotor like the Osprey, but it is smaller and has important design changes, with the engine in a fixed horizontal position. On the Osprey, when flying in helicopter mode, the rotor and the entire nacelle that houses the engine and Pro Promoter gearbox tilt into a vertical position.
The Marine Corps operates the majority of Ospreys, with more than 240 currently assigned to 17 squadrons. The Marine Corps’ aviation mission depends on the aircraft returning to flight, and the Marine Corps is committed to ensuring the Osprey remains in the fleet into the 2050s, said John, assistant deputy commandant for Marine Corps aviation. Brigadier General Johnson said. General Richard Joyce.
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“We can’t take our eyes off the V-22 and its service life that we have in front of us,” Joyce said.
But the Air Force, which has the second-largest fleet of Ospreys, with about 50 assigned to special operations missions, indicated Wednesday that it may begin considering other options.
Bauernfeind said the Osprey’s initial concept dates back to the 1980s, when the Iran hostage crisis exposed the need for an aircraft that could travel at high speeds and hover or land like a helicopter.
While that need is well met, it’s still an old platform, he said. “I think it’s time to start talking about what the next generation capabilities are to replace the V-22 role.”
