Spate of Deadly Marine Aircraft Accidents
I was waiting for the word on the F/A-18 incident when I heard of the Osprey. Preliminary investigations are underway of course.
US military aircraft carrying more than 20 Marines crashes over Australia, killing 3 and injuring others
The MV-22B Osprey helicopter crashed near Melville Island off the coast of the city of Darwin in Australia
Landon Mion
A military helicopter carrying more than 20 U.S. Marines crashed Sunday morning during an exercise in Australia’s Northern Territory, killing three military personnel onboard and injuring the others, according to officials.Three Marines were killed and 20 others were hurt, some critically, when the MV-22B Osprey helicopter crashed at about 9:30 a.m. local time on Melville Island off the coast of the city of Darwin as military personnel from the U.S., Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste were participating in exercise drills.
US F/A-18 Hornet crash near San Diego leaves Marine Corps pilot dead
Marine Corps pilot’s body found at site of F/A-18 Hornet crash near San Diego’s Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
By Greg Norman , Kim Wagner
A U.S. military aircraft crashed overnight near San Diego’s Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, leaving a Marine Corps pilot dead, officials confirmed Friday.A military spokesman told Fox News that the pilot was the only person aboard the F/A-18 Hornet, which crashed in a remote area east of the base late Thursday local time. The pilot’s body was recovered at the crash site.
Sad day for Marine Aviation, and especially for the family and friends of the stricken. Fair winds and following seas.
Category: Blue Skies, Marine Corps
I posted this related to someone comments, and unfortunately it needs some updating.
“The price of freedom is never free. Seldom those lost in training or during peace time get recognition of those who fall during battle. Service is service, and paying the ultimate sacrifice is ALWAYS heroic. God bless these heroic Marines, and please comfort those left behind. To you young Devil Dogs, I give solemn salute as Taps as played…
Hand salute.
Ready.
Two.”
May the families and friends find comfort in their faith and by many treasured memories. God rest the souls of these aviators.
On the Osprey, any money on the hard clutch/quill issue I’ve mentioned a few times?
David,
Good comment.
It may take up to 1 year to know the answer.
Recent article for those who are unaware.
[Cause of V-22 ‘hard clutch’ issue still unknown, even as fleet repairs moving ahead of schedule
An unknown number of Ospreys remain grounded after officials ordered a retrofit in February to address a safety issue.]
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/05/cause-of-v-22-hard-clutch-issue-still-unknown-even-as-fleet-repairs-moving-ahead-of-schedule/
Dignity and Respect… what begins now is the mourning of their peers and loved ones, the survivor’s guilt carried by those who survived the Osprey crash, and the final military honors provided by whichever funeral teams render those honors. These Marines will live in the memories of those who knew them and in the hearts of people like us who may not know names and faces but will honor them until our last breath.
Leaders are likely already seeking to assign blame to avoid it being assigned to them; maintenance crews, trainers, and such are probably hoping that the blame isn’t assigned to themselves. Politicians will demand answers, Joe is still on vacation, and defense contractors are calculating how much they’ll make by replacing equipment, updating “design flaws”, and potentially retraining air crew. We still have four dead Marines that took a path not followed by many, not to mention a score of injured Devil Dogs.
Training can be deadly. I vividly recall arriving at North Fort on Fort Polk for a JRTC rotation in 2002. As a PV2 undergoing my first real training event, it made me realize the gravity of things when we found out that two Rakkasans from a sister battalion had been killed, a day after an F-16 crash that killed its pilot: Two Soldiers Killed in Fort Polk Training Accident | Fox News
Rest in Peace, Marines, and thanks for your service to this nation.
Godspeed, Fare Well, and Rest Easy, Devil Dogs. As we have seen, tragically too many times, the training for war can be as deadly as the war itself. May God’s Peace bring the families and compatriots of these fallen ones some measure of His Comfort.
Let the finger pointing and safety briefs begin.
As some of you know,
I am the father of a Marine MV-22 Osprey pilot.
As very few of you know,
I am also the father of a Marine F-18 Hornet mechanic at MCAS Miramar.
MarineDad61 is a Proud Marine Dad x2.
I remain proud and confident of both.
However, this double shot of bad news
shakes the confidence of MarineGrandDad36,
now in frail health at age 86,
who today expressed concern (to me),
that he would like his grandson to transfer,
and “fly a jet or something.”
No contact (yet) with either Marine.
When these tragic events happen,
I let them contact me,
as they have their hands full with buzz buzz
up and down the chains of command.
RIPx3.
Best wishes for full recovery to the other Marines.
Grateful for your family’s service sir. I will keep them in my prayers.
Heartbreaking. Thinking of the families of the USMC members and the families of the four aussies killed in the MRH90 crash week before last.
Training for war can be just as dangerous as war itself.