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Japan has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft again after an incident last Sunday where one of the hybrid helicopter-aircraft tilted unexpectedly and hit the ground while trying to take off.
The V-22 was taking part in the joint U.S. military exercise Keen Sword and carrying 16 passengers, including three U.S. service members. During takeoff it “became unstable as it swayed from side to side, and the left wing, the lower part of the aircraft came into contact with the ground and part of the aircraft was damaged, so the flight was aborted," Japan's Ground Self Defense Forces said in a statement.
It was the first major incident for Japan's V-22 fleet since an Osprey crash off the Japanese coast last November killed eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members and led to a months long grounding of the entire fleet in both Japan and the U.S.
The aircraft resumed flight operations earlier this year, but the Osprey’s use remains controversial particularly in Okinawa, where residents have questioned its safety record.
The Osprey in last Sunday's incident was able to land and no one was injured, however Japan will keep its fleet of more than a dozen V-22s grounded while it investigates the incident, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters last week.
“We believe there is no safety problem with Ospreys, although ensuring flight safety is a prerequisite for aircraft operations,” Nakatani said.
The Pentagon's V-22 joint program office is supporting Japan's investigation into the incident, spokesman Neil Lobeda said Saturday.
The V-22 was operating on the Japanese island of Yonaguni during the joint exercise Keen Sword. Yonaguni is only 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Taiwan.
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Mari Yamiguchi reported from Tokyo
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14 Comments
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sakurasuki
Again, it's not even one year already passed, it's not even one year with 2023 accident.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/remains-wreckage-found-search-crashed-osprey-yakushima-japan/story?id=105350745
https://apnews.com/article/japan-us-military-osprey-helicopter-crash-7d704ec5925826593aebcf0e7d1312ca
OssanAmerica
My bet is on pilot unfamiliarity and human error. The Ospreys will be all checked out and be back in service in no time.
BertieWooster
Can't we get a refund?
Fighto!
Well argued.
The Osprey is an excellent aircraft - and will be flying again in a very short time.
baktaka
Well argued ? If this were a Boeing aircraft would you folks be so lenient ? I think not. It’s time to retire the Osprey and declare it as a misguided experiment before more people get hurt.
Fighto!
The Osprey aircraft is in the top 50% of Miltary aircraft in the world in terms of safety.
Facts.
Sven Asai
Of course those very strange devices are complete outliers, statistically and aero-technically. I would enter and fly with such a thing only if fully surrounded by incoming volcano lava.
ZENJI
Sell the dam things back to the U S A.
Yrral
Flying Coffin
BertieWooster
I met an aircraft engineer recently and asked him what he thought of the Osprey. His exact words were, "Poorly designed heap of carp (misspelling), deathtrap!"
Desert Tortoise
The same was said by the poorly informed about my old helicopter, the CH-46 Seaknight.
Desert Tortoise
News flash; Boeing makes the V-22 in a consortium with Bell Helicopters. Bell Helicopter manufactures and integrates the wing, nacelles, rotors, drive system, tail surfaces, and aft ramp, as well as integrating the Rolls-Royce engines and performing final assembly. Boeing Helicopters manufactures and integrates the fuselage, cockpit, avionics, and flight controls. It seems the parts assembled by Bell Helicopters are what have proven to be troublesome.
Desert Tortoise
Mind if I ask what this engineers bona fides are and who he or she was working for? Yes I am waving the bs flag.
A workable tilt rotor has been something aeronautical engineers have been working on since the 1930s. Have a look at the Baynes Heliplane from 1937. It was never built but it looks an awful lot like the V-22.
The US military and NASA have operated prototype tilt rotor or tilt wing aircraft since the early 1950s. Have a look at the Bell XV-3 from 1953 for example ( it is on display at the Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton OH ), or the Hiller X-18 and Martin XC-142, the latter almost made production in the mid 1960s. The only surviving XC-142 is also on display in the same museum in Dayton.
The V-22 is now joined by the Bell V-280 Valor which will replace the entire fleet of Blackhawk helicopters in the US Army. What is interesting about the way the V-22 is made is that the wing, with the engines, gearboxes and rotor systems can be replaced with upgraded components in the future while keeping the original fuselages. The Marines are already working on such a program. In the not too distant future you might see the V-280s dynamic parts on a new wing attached to the V-22 replacing what it has now. This is much more economical than replacing the entire aircraft and could resolve many current problems.
Desert Tortoise
Bell XV-3 circa 1953
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2M98EAF/the-first-bell-xv-3-tiltrotor-54-147-2M98EAF.jpg
Ling Temco Vought XC-142
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTV_XC-142#/media/File:Ling-Temco-Vought_XC-142A.jpg