Comprehensive Safety Measures
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has mandated a halt to all flights of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft used by the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. This decision, effective from December 6, 2024, comes after a series of incidents highlighting potential material failures in critical components. The most recent incident involved a CV-22 Osprey from the Air Force Special Operations Command making a precautionary landing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, on November 20, 2024. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among the crew.
Neil Lobeda, a spokesperson for NAVAIR, expressed that the pause was a precautionary measure in response to the recent event and past occurrences. This decision underscores the ongoing concerns about the mechanical reliability and safety of the V-22 Osprey, which has a complex design capable of vertical takeoff and landing but has been plagued by safety issues over the years.
Suspected Material Failure
The November 2024 incident is suspected to involve a material failure in the aircraft’s transmission system, similar to the one that led to a fatal crash off the coast of Japan on November 29, 2023. That earlier crash resulted in the deaths of eight service members and was caused by weakened spots or inclusions in the metal of critical gears inside the Osprey’s transmission. This flaw led to a catastrophic failure in the left-hand prop rotor gearbox, causing a complete breakdown of the aircraft’s drive system and creating an unrecoverable asymmetric lift condition.
Despite the severity of these incidents, the quick response of the crew during the recent event at Cannon Air Force Base prevented any casualties by performing a safe emergency landing.
The V-22 Osprey under Scrutiny
The recent operational pause is part of a series of measures taken to ensure the safety and reliability of the V-22 Osprey fleet. Following two deadly accidents in 2023, there was a global grounding of all tiltrotor aircraft in early December 2023, which was later lifted on March 8, 2024. However, the fleet has since been operating under a restricted flight envelope that limits its mission capabilities.
Vice Admiral Chebi, who is overseeing the program’s recovery, stated that NAVAIR is working diligently through engineering testing and analysis to establish criteria for a return to full unrestricted flight. The goal is to reduce the risk to the fleet, but current restrictions will remain in place until these criteria are met. A return to full mission capability is not anticipated before mid-2025.
The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, which also operates several MV-22 aircraft, had briefly suspended flights in July 2023 following a report from the U.S. Marine Corps. This report identified the cause of a fatal Osprey crash in California in June 2022 as an unexpected mechanical failure known as hard clutch engagement.