Accidents and incidents involving the V-22 Osprey

On 11 June 1991, a miswired flight control system led to two minor injuries when the left nacelle struck the ground while the aircraft was hovering 15 feet (4.6 m) in the air, causing it to bounce and catch fire at the New Castle County Airport in Delaware.[1][5][6] The pilot, Grady Wilson, suspected that he may have accidentally set the throttle lever the opposite direction to that intended, exacerbating the crash if not causing it.[7]

On 20 July 1992, pre-production V-22 #4's right engine failed and caused the aircraft to drop into the Potomac River by Marine Corps Base Quantico with an audience of Department of Defense and industry officials.[8][9][10] Flammable liquids collected in the right nacelle and led to an engine fire and subsequent failure. All seven on board were killed and the V-22 fleet was grounded for 11 months following the accident.[1][11][12] A titanium firewall now protects the composite propshaft.[13]

A V-22 loaded with Marines, to simulate a rescue, attempted to land at Marana Northwest Regional Airport in Arizona on 8 April 2000. It descended faster than normal (over 2,000 ft/min or 10 m/s) from an unusually high altitude with a forward speed of under 45 miles per hour (39 kn; 72 km/h) when it suddenly stalled its right rotor at 245 feet (75 m), rolled over, crashed, and exploded, killing all 19 on board.[14][15]

The cause was determined to be vortex ring state (VRS), a fundamental limitation on vertical descent which is common to helicopters. At the time of the mishap, the V-22's flight operations rules restricted the Osprey to a descent rate of 800 feet per minute (4.1 m/s) at airspeeds below 40 knots (74 km/h) (restrictions typical of helicopters); the crew of the accident aircraft had descended at over twice this rate.[16] Another factor that may have triggered VRS was the operation of multiple aircraft in close proximity, also believed to be a risk factor for VRS in helicopters.[1]

Subsequent testing showed that the V-22 and other tiltrotors are generally less susceptible to VRS than helicopters; VRS entry is more easily recognized, recovery is more intuitive for the pilot, altitude loss is significantly less, and, with sufficient altitude (2,000 ft or 610 m or more), VRS recovery is relatively easy. The V-22 has a safe descent envelope as large as or larger than most helicopters, further enhancing its ability to enter and depart hostile landing zones quickly and safely. The project team also dealt with the problem by adding a simultaneous warning light and voice that says "Sink Rate" when the V-22 approaches half of the VRS-vulnerable descent rate.[1]

On 11 December 2000, a V-22 had a flight control error and crashed near Jacksonville, North Carolina, killing all four aboard. A vibration-induced chafing from an adjacent wiring bundle caused a leak in the hydraulic line, which fed the primary side of the swashplate actuators to the right side rotor blade controls. The leak caused a Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) alert. A previously-undiscovered error in the aircraft's control software caused it to decelerate in response to each of the pilot's eight attempts to reset the software as a result of the PFCS alert. The uncontrollable aircraft fell 1,600 feet (490 m) and crashed in a forest. The wiring harnesses and hydraulic line routing in the nacelles were subsequently modified. This caused the Marine Corps to ground its fleet of eight V-22s, the second grounding in 2000.[1][17][18]

A MV-22B experienced an uncommanded engine acceleration while turning on the ground at Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC. Since the aircraft regulates power turbine speed with blade pitch, the reaction caused the aircraft to go airborne with the Torque Control Lever (TCL, or throttle) at idle. The aircraft rose 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m) into the air (initial estimates suggested 20 to 30 feet) and then fell to the ground, causing damage to its starboard wing; the damage was valued at approximately US$7 million.[19][20] It was later found that a miswired cannon plug to one of the engine's two Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC) was the cause. The FADEC software was also modified to decrease the time needed for switching between the redundant FADECs to eliminate the possibility of a similar mishap occurring in the future.[21] The aircraft was found to be damaged beyond repair and stricken from Navy's list in July 2009.[22][23]

In April 2010, a CV-22 crashed near the city of Qalat in Zabul Province, Afghanistan.[2] Three US service members and one civilian were killed and 16 injured in the crash.[24] Initially, it was unclear if the accident was caused by enemy fire.[25][26] The loaded CV-22B was at its hovering capability limit, landing at night near Qalat (altitude approx. 5,000 feet) in brownout conditions, in turbulence due to the location in a gully.[24][27] The USAF investigation ruled out brownout conditions, enemy fire, and vortex ring state as causes. The investigation found several factors that significantly contributed to the crash: these include low visibility, a poorly-executed approach, loss of situational awareness, and a high descent rate.[28]

Brig. Gen. Donald Harvel, board president of the first investigation into the crash, fingered the "unidentified contrails" during the last 17 seconds of flight as indications of engine troubles.[29] Harvel has become a critic of the aircraft since his retirement and states that his retirement was placed on hold for two years to silence him from speaking publicly about his concerns about the aircraft's safety.[30] The actual causes of the crash may never be known because US military aircraft destroyed the wreckage and black box recorder.[31] Former USAF chief V-22 systems engineer Eric Braganca stated that the V-22's engines normally emit puffs of smoke and the data recorders showed that the engines were operating normally at that time.[32]

On 11 April 2012, an MV-22 from the VMM-261 on USS Iwo Jima crashed near Tan Tan and Agadir, Morocco, during a joint training exercise, named "African Lion". Two Marines were killed and two others were seriously injured, and the aircraft was lost.[33][34][35] U.S. investigators found no mechanical flaw with the aircraft,[36] and human error was determined to be the cause.[37]

On 13 June 2012, a USAF CV-22 crashed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida during training. All five aboard were injured;[38] two were released from the hospital shortly after.[39] The aircraft came to rest upside-down and received major damage.[40] The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error, with the CV-22 flying through the proprotor wash of another aircraft.[41] The USAF restarted formation flight training in response.[42]

One of three Osprey aircraft participating in a training exercise at Bellows Air Force Station (Waimanalo, Oahu, Hawaii) suffered from dust intake to the right engine,[43] sustained a hard landing with fuselage damage[44] and caught fire. The accident led to the deaths of two U.S. Marines, and injuries to 20 others.[45][46] The accident caused Marines to recommend improved air filters,[43] and require reduced hover time in dust from 60 to 30 seconds, although most pilots rarely spend more than 10 seconds in dusty conditions.[47]

On 13 December 2016 at 10:00 p.m., an MV-22 crashed while landing onto a reef in shallow water 0.6 miles (0.97 km) off the Okinawa coastline of Camp Schwab where the aircraft broke apart. All five crew members aboard with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing were rescued. Two crew members were injured, and all were transported for treatment. Ospreys in Japan were grounded the following day.[48][49][50] An investigation into the mishap was launched.[51] Preliminary reports indicated that, during in-flight refueling with a HC-130, the refueling hose was struck by the Osprey's rotor blades.[52] On 18 December, after a review of MV-22 safety procedures, the III Marine Expeditionary Force (IIIMEF) announced that it would resume flight operations, concluding that they were confident that the mishap was due "solely to the aircraft's rotor blades coming into contact with the refueling line."[53]

On 5 August 2017, a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit after taking off from the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard struck the USS Green Bay and then crashed in Shoalwater Bay on the east coast of Australia. 23 personnel were rescued, with three confirmed dead.[54][55][56][57][58]

On 28 September 2017, a V-22 Osprey operating in Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve was damaged beyond repair in a hard landing. Two people on board the aircraft were injured.[59][60][61] The non–salvageable Osprey burned shortly after the crash.[62]

On 18 March 2022, a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B participating in military exercise Cold Response crashed in Gråtådalen, a valley in Beiarn, Norway.[63] The aircraft was carrying a crew of four Marines.[64][65] All four crew members were confirmed dead shortly after Norwegian authorities discovered the crash site.[66] Investigators concluded that the causal factor of the crash was pilot error due to low altitude steep bank angle maneuvers exceeding the aircraft's normal operating envelope.[67] Investigators note that an unauthorized personal GoPro recording device was found at the crash site and was in use at the time of the crash. "Such devices are prohibited on grounds that they can incentivize risktaking and serve as a distraction; that may have been the case with Ghost 31," the report reads.[68]

An Osprey belonging to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed near Glamis, California on 8 June 2022, killing five Marines onboard. Initial reports erroneously claimed that nuclear material was on board the aircraft.[69][70][71] Among the fatalities was Captain John J. Sax, son of the former baseball major leaguer and LA Dodger Steve Sax.[72] The accident investigation determined that the crash was caused by a catastrophic malfunction of the aircraft's gearbox that lead to drive system failures.[73]

An Osprey MV-22B crashed on Melville Island, 60 km north of Darwin, Australia on 27 August 2023. The accident occurred while the aircraft was participating in "Predators Run 2023", a joint military exercise involving 2,500 personnel from Australia, the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste.[74] The aircraft was carrying 23 U.S. Marines,[75] of which three were killed at the scene and another five were flown to a hospital in critical condition.[74]

A V-22 experienced compressor stalls in its right engine in the middle of its first transatlantic flight to the United Kingdom for the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Airshow on 11 July 2006.[76] It had to be diverted to Iceland for maintenance. A week later it was announced that other V-22s had been having compressor surges and stalls, and the Navy launched an investigation into it.[77]

It was reported that a serious nacelle fire occurred on a Marine MV-22 at New River in December 2006.[78][79]

A V-22 experienced a hydraulic leak that led to an engine-compartment fire before takeoff on 29 March 2007.[78]

An MV-22 Osprey of VMMT-204 caught on fire during a training mission and was forced to make an emergency landing at Camp Lejeune on 6 November 2007. The fire, which started in one of the engine nacelles, caused significant aircraft damage, but no injuries.[80]

After an investigation, it was determined that a design flaw with the engine air particle separator (EAPS) caused it to jam in flight, causing a shock wave in the hydraulics system and subsequent leaks. Hydraulic fluid leaked into the IR suppressors and was the cause of the nacelle fires. As a result, all Block A V-22 aircraft were placed under flight restrictions until modification kits could be installed. No fielded Marine MV-22s were affected, as those Block B aircraft already incorporated the modification.[81]

An Air Force CV-22 suffered a Class A mishap with more than a $1 million in damage during FY 2009. No details were released.[82]

On 7 July 2011, an MV-22 crew chief from VMM-264 squadron fell nearly 200 ft to his death in southwestern Afghanistan.[83]

In early October 2014, an MV-22 Osprey lost power shortly after takeoff from the USS Makin Island. The aircraft splashed down in the Arabian Sea and was briefly partially submerged four feet (one metre) before the pilots regained control and landed on the carrier deck. One marine drowned after his life preserver failed to inflate when he bailed out of the aircraft. The accident was attributed to the aircraft being accidentally started in maintenance mode, which reduces engine power by a fifth.[84]

On 29 January 2017, an MV-22 experienced a hard landing during the Yakla raid in Al Bayda, Yemen against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants, causing two injuries to U.S. troops. The aircraft could not fly afterward and was destroyed by U.S. airstrikes.[85][86][3]

On 21 April 2021, a CV-22 destroyed the helipad at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England during medical evacuation training.[87] Downwash from the Osprey's rotors blew away pieces of the helipad's rubber matting, requiring East Anglian Air Ambulance and other air medical services to land patients at Cambridge City Airport while the pad was rebuilt. The U.S. military helped to clear the debris and paid for the pad's reconstruction.[88]