Japan Osprey crash caused by cracks in a gear and pilot's decision to keep flying, Air Force says

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 12:00 PM EDT, August 1, 2024


WASHINGTON (AP) — A deadly Osprey aircraft crash last November off Japan was caused by cracks in a metal gear and the pilot’s decision to keep flying, instead of heeding multiple warnings that he should land, according to an Air Force investigation released Thursday.

The CV-22B Osprey crash killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members and led to a monthslong military-wide grounding of the fleet. It’s among four fatal Osprey crashes in the last two years driving investigations into the Osprey’s safety record. It’s created a split among the services about the future role of the unique aircraft, which can fly like an airplane but land like a helicopter.

For months, the Air Force would only say an unprecedented component failure caused the crash. On Thursday, it identified that a toothed piece called a pinion gear — a critical part of the proprotor gearbox — was to blame. The proprotor gearbox serves as the aircraft’s transmission: Inside each gearbox, five pinion gears spin hard to transmit the engine’s power to turn the Osprey’s masts and rotor blades.

While the Air Force is confident it was the pinion gear that failed, it still doesn’t know why.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/osprey-crash-japan-3b7b0951074334bec0f6a54da6309c31

[MrWowWow]

1. The Osprey is a Deathtrap

The sooner that aircraft is gone from service, the better.

[turbinetree]

2. Grounded: Assessing the V-22 Osprey's Challenges

February 8, 2024 - by Jon Hemler

The Department of Defense’s (DOD) V-22 Osprey fleet remains grounded (save for one deployed Marine unit), having not flown since before the beginning of the new year. Each additional no-fly day increases the impact and consequences of sitting out a critical aircraft in Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force squadrons. Pressure and focus on the Osprey continue to build from many angles. The Pentagon and industry’s ability to assess the issues, provide a sustainable solution, restore trust, and return the V-22 to flight quickly is crucial for military operations and forthcoming tiltrotor and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) programs.

The most recent grounding of all U.S. military V-22s began on December 6th following the November 29th crash of an Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) CV-22B conducting a training flight off Japan. Eight service members were lost in the accident. While details of the cause of the crash have not been released, the Air Force initially indicated the crash likely occurred due to a mechanical failure and not pilot or crew error.

Approximately 415 total Ospreys are down across the services. Japan, the only foreign operator of the V-22, also grounded its fleet of 17 aircraft. The U.S. Marine Corps flies the lion’s share, roughly 335 MV-22Bs, as an amphibious assault aircraft. Air Force CV-22s provide long-range insertion and extraction capabilities for special operations forces, and the Navy CMV-22B, which reached initial operating capability (IOC) in 2022, replaces the fixed-wing C-2A Greyhound for the carrier-onboard delivery (COD) mission.

https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2024/02/08/grounded-assessing-the-v-22-ospreys-challenges/

Since there is a black box on this aircraft and there were warnings going off like the master caution and the pilot had the opportunity to land.........that is inexcusable...........end of story

[Happy Hoosier]

3. From that same article...

"The negative attention on the Osprey, one publication called it a ‘death trap,’ may not be entirely warranted. The Air Force Safety Center reports the V-22 10-year average annual class A mishap rate is 0.50 per 100,000 flight hours, the same rate as the H-60 helicopter in that category. Though dated, a Marine Aviation spokesman wrote in 2022 that the MV-22 10-year average mishap rate was 3.16 per 100,000 flight hours. At the time, it had a lower mishap rate than Marine AV-8 Harriers, certain variants of the F/A-18, F-35Bs, and CH-53Es"

I work in military aviation... it's not an especially dangerous aircraft, but the press loves a good hobby horse.

[Wicked Blue]

4. Boeing and Bell

A partnership between Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters was awarded a development contract in 1983 for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The Bell-Boeing team jointly produces the aircraft.

Hmmm