U.S. Air Force Grounds Entire Fleet of Ospreys Following Fatal Crash in Japan

The U.S. Air Force has announced a grounding of its entire fleet of Osprey aircraft following the crash of an Osprey off the coast of Japan on November 29th. The crash resulted in the death of all eight U.S. airmen aboard, and a preliminary investigation indicates that the crash may have been caused by a materiel failure.

Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, said in a statement that he ordered the “operational standdown” of all CV-22 Ospreys in order to allow for a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the crash. The standdown will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors.

The U.S. military has been using the Osprey V-22 helicopters since the 1990s, but the crash in Japan is the latest to raise safety questions about the aircraft. The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that has been involved in multiple fatal accidents, and Japan has asked the U.S. to ground the aircraft until the cause of the crash can be determined.

The U.S. Air Force has not yet released any further information on the cause of the crash, and the investigation is ongoing. The families of the eight airmen who were killed in the crash have been notified, and the Air Force is providing support to them during this difficult time.