Japan Osprey crash caused by cracks in a gear and pilot’s decision to keep flying, Air Force says
The Air Force says a deadly Osprey aircraft crash last November off Japan was caused by cracks in a metal gear and the pilot’s decision to keep flying instead of heeding multiple warnings that he should land
WASHINGTON (AP) — A deadly Osprey aircraft crash last November off Japan was caused by cracks in a metal gear and the pilot’s decision to keep flying rather than heed multiple warnings that he should land, according to an Air Force investigation released Thursday.
The CV-22B Osprey crash killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members and led to a monthslong military-wide grounding of the fleet. There have been four fatal Osprey crashes in the past two years, driving investigations into the Osprey's safety record and creating a split among the services about the future role of the unique aircraft that can fly like an airplane but land like a helicopter.
For months, the Air Force would only say an unprecedented component failure caused the crash. On Thursday, it said a toothed piece called a pinion gear — a critical part of the proprotor gearbox — was to blame. The proprotor gearbox serves as the aircraft's transmission. Inside each gearbox, five pinion gears spin hard to transmit the engine's power to turn the Osprey’s masts and rotor blades.
While the Air Force is confident it was the pinion gear that failed, it still does not know why.
