At Least 1 Dead After US Osprey Crash

(NewsInsights.org) – Japan’s Coast Guard engaged in a search and rescue operation after a US Air Force Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed with eight aboard while on a routine training mission on Wednesday, November 29. According to reports, the incident occurred near Yakushima in the East China Sea around 3 p.m. Japanese rescuers confirmed at least one crew member had died.

Late Wednesday evening, the US Air Force issued a statement saying officials didn’t know the condition of the remaining crew. Japanese Coast Guard ships and crews searched throughout the night and continued their efforts into Thursday. They found an empty 20-person life raft near the crash site and recovered some debris matching the Osprey’s description.

CV-22 Osprey aircraft sport a unique design, allowing them to take off and land vertically like a helicopter, but the propellors rotate, allowing the craft to travel at speeds similar to a plane. An eyewitness reported seeing the CV-22 Osprey aircraft flip upside down as fire streamed from its left engine assembly. He saw an explosion before the Osprey crashed into the sea.

Reports indicate the pilot contacted Yakushima airport to request an emergency landing around 2:40 p.m. However, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, told reporters the airport lost radar contact with the aircraft before the crash. Officials believe the pilot had no choice but to try making an emergency water landing.

The US Air Force Special Operations Command said the CV-22 was attached to the 353rd Special Operations Wing operating out of Yokota Air Base. Japanese Coast Guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa told the Associated Press the aircraft was en route to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa after departing the US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture.

Yokota Air Base housed six Ospreys, including the one that crashed. Ospreys have experienced a number of fatal incidents recently. In August, one carrying 23 Marines crashed on an island just north of Australia, killing three and leaving five others critically injured. A 2022 crash of another US Marine-piloted Osprey killed five.