Marine falls from Osprey in North Carolina
A Marine who was a crewmember of an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft fell from that aircraft that was operating in the skies of North Carolina’s Bladen County. There is a search effort underway for the Marine according to Charlotte’s WBTV;
According to Mike Barton, Public Affairs Director for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the Marine was taking part in a “normal training mission” when the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. Monday. Barton said the accident happened approximately 45 miles west of New River Air Station, where the Osprey is based.
Barton cannot identify the Marine at this time due to privacy regulations, however the Marine was a crewmember of the aircraft that was conducting a training flight at the time of the mishap.
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Another reminder that training for war can be just as deadly as the war itself.
Category: Marine Corps
That’s awful…my prayers to his family…..
Prayers out for his family.
My condolences to the family.
Falling… Jesus, that’s one of the worst ways to die…
Isn’t he supposed to be strapped/hooked in ? I suspect the safety investigators will be looking hard at that. I’m sure he could have gotten thrown during the transition from one hookup point to another, maybe.
Of all the Chinook rides I took, probably 1 in 5 of the rear door gunners had a safety strap on. I saw one guy trip as he was going to sit down and dangle his feet off the door and sat down hard. Scared the shite out of me. We were at least 1000 feet up. I know someone said something to him too, cause he turned to look toward the pilot.
Saw similar in Afghanistan – aircrew put a lot of faith in the manufacturers’ production standards with those straps. Anyone who has flown over SE Afghan knows you ain’t gonna survive the fall.
My husband does the same job and almost fell out once. He was strapped in but the hook got caught on something and came off. Luckily, someone noticed and grabbed him.
You would most probably survive the fall only to die from the blunt force trauma as the rocks broke your fall. It’s always the sudden stop that kills you, Otherwise every parachute jump would be fatal.
When I was P-3 aircrew, we had a mission series where we had to drop collect that we had to a ship, so we had to open the main cabin door. Before the door was cracked, anyone anywhere near the door had to have a harness on and that harness had to be secured to the aircraft. No ifs, ands, or buts. If the Marine wasn’t secured, it just breaks my heart something so simple was overlooked.
RIP shipmate.
Any word on speed and height when the accident happened. Prayers out for fellow rotarthead and his family and friends. Joe
God bless his family. Thank you Marine, for serving.
Falling out of the helicopter was always my greatest fear when riding the bench on a UH-1 with an (always) open door.
My prayers go to the Marine and all those who know him.
My biggest fear also. As a door gunner, ya I was strapped in. However , before that flying out on a Grunt ship, with all the seat out and the doors open. I’ve never been so scared in life. Flying maybe a thousand feet up with your legs dangling out. Higher ups said you couldn’t fall out. I called bullshit on that one!
Condolences to the family.
I have flown on many mil airframes. I always clipped in, held on tight, said a Hail Mary and tried not to freak out.
Flying is inherently very danerous. Flying on mil air frames much more than just inherently dangerous.
My first helo ride was in the middle of an art ep in Korea in 85. We flew on ROK Huey’s and we’re not briefed on the seats I got on with my ruck on and only had about an inch of my ass on the bench seat facing out hung on for dear life. The co pilot calmly smoked cigarettes also
NAVcwo, yes all aircrew are supposed to be stapped. In Nam at Marble Mountain helo base a crew chief fell thru the hell hole of a 46 or 53 from about 300 feet and lived(he fell into sand) and lived. Joe
Years back, a crew chief, I believe he was a Master Sergeant fell out of a CH-53 at Camp Lejeune. I believe they later learned that he unbuckled himself from his safety harness and jumped. That may explain this as well, as sad as that may be.
RIP Marine.
I’m hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.
In reference to being strapped in, whenever I JM’ed on Chinook, I always wore the monkey suit. The only exception was when I a jumping jumpmaster, then the safety wore the monkey suit as he exited jumpers.
The worst: body found. RIP Marine.
http://www.wcti12.com/news/news-alert-marine-missing-in-bladen-county/26069500
He was found dead.
The Osprey had been performing “touch and go” maneuvers, where a pilot lands and immediately takes off without coming to a stop, at a nearby airport before the incident, Bladen County Emergency Management Director Bradley Kinlaw told NBC News affiliate WECT.
The cargo door of an Osprey – which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane – remains open during this exercise but marines are always tethered in accordance with standard operational procedure.
If anyone had any experience with malfunctions of the safety gear- would appreciate your posting…noted someone’s post regarding the clip malfunctioning. We lost a great young man who was very proud of what he was doing, and we need to understand why this happened. Thanks for your posts.
Start with the Navy Safety Center. Searchable database on all mil spec safety harness systems.
Rest in peace, young man. Regardless of the reason, you were truly “done too soon”.
May God grant your friends and family comfort.
No doubt!
Thanks for the search tip. Will do