An Osprey aircraft crashed during military exercises in Australia on Sunday, leaving three US Marines dead and several others injured.
Two US Marine Osprey aircrafts were flaying from Darwin to Tiwi Islands when one of the aircraft crashed on Melville Island, Australia’s Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said. 23 Marines were on board the MV-22B Osprey aircraft, which crashed. Three of them died on the scene while five others have been transferred to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition.
“The Marines aboard the aircraft were flying in support of Exercise Predators Run. Recovery efforts are ongoing,” a statement read, adding “the cause of the incident is under investigation.”
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Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has earlier said that a number of Marines were being treated at the scene. “We are working incredibly hard and as fast as we can to make sure we can get people to treatment,” Fyles said.
This is not the first deadly crash to involve an Osprey aircraft. There have been many such accidents involving Osprey military aircraft reported over the years, which have led people to question the safety of the aircraft.
Here is a look at the history of crashes involving the Osprey aircraft over the years:
July 20, 1992: An Osprey crashed in Virginia, leaving seven people killed during a test-run.
April 8, 2000: An accident happened during training in Arizona that killed 19 Marines. At the time, the crash was blamed on an error on the pilot’s part. The pilot is said to have tried to land too fast and at too steep an angle.
December 11, 2000: An Osprey crashed in North Carolina, killing four Marines. The accident was blamed on issues with a hydraulic part and a software anomaly.
April 8, 2010: US Air Force Osprey crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing three US service members and an civilian worker.
April 11, 2012: An Osprey crashed in Morocco. Two US personnel were killed.
June 13, 2012: An Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashes during a routine training mission north of Navarre, Florida. No one was killed but the incident injured five.
May 17, 2015: A Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crashes at Bellows training ground on Oahu, Hawaii. It killed two Marines.
December 13, 2016: An MV-22B Osprey lands crash-landed in the waters off Okinawa, Japan, injuring two.
August 5, 2017: An MV-22B Osprey crashed off the coast of Australia, which left three Marines dead.
September 28, 2017: A MV-22 Osprey belonging to the Marine Corps crashed in Syria, injuring two service members.
March 18, 2022: An MV-22 Osprey in crashed during NATO training exercises in Norway, killing four US service members.
June 8, 2022: Five US Marines were killed after an MV-22 Osprey crashed during a training mission near Glamis, California.
