Congress Launches Investigation Into Osprey Program After Deadly Crash In Japan
December 22, 2023 9:44AM PST
In this photo provided by Japan Coast Guard, debris believed to be from a U.S. military Osprey aircraft is seen off the coast of Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. A crew member who was recovered from the ocean after a U.S. military Osprey aircraft carrying six people crashed Wednesday off southern Japan has been pronounced dead, coast guard officials said. (Japan Coast Guard via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional oversight committee has launched an investigation into the V-22 Osprey program following a deadly crash in Japan, which killed eight Air Force special operations service members.
The entire Osprey fleet remains grounded following the Nov. 29 crash, with the exception of some limited Marine Corps flights.
More than 50 U.S. service members have died in Osprey crashes over the lifespan of the program, 20 of those deaths occurred in four crashes over the last 20 months.
The Osprey is a fast-moving airframe that can fly like both a helicopter and an airplane.
But its many crashes have led critics to warn it has fatal design flaws.
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