Air Force Special Ops Command Ends CV-22 Stand Down

The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has resumed CV-22 Osprey flight operations following a more than two-week stand down to investigate hard clutch engagement incidents.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, September 07, 2022 at 09:12 AM ET

Verified

The issue occurred inside the gearbox that connects the propeller rotor to one of the aircraft’s two engines, according to reports. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Xavier Lockley]

Key Takeaways:

AFSOC has resumed CV-22 Osprey flight operations after a two-week grounding prompted by multiple "high clutch engagement" (HCE) incidents in the aircraft's gearbox.
The root cause of the HCE issue, which involves a clutch slipping and rapidly re-engaging potentially leading to loss of control, has not yet been identified.
Operations restarted with risk control mitigations in place, including enhanced crew training, specific aircraft inspections, and operational adjustments in flight regimes where HCEs are more prevalent.
The Marine Corps did not ground its MV-22 Ospreys, stating they had previously identified and trained aircrews on how to respond to the HCE issue, despite other fatal V-22 crashes this year.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has resumed CV-22 Osprey flight operations following a more than two-week stand down.

The AFSOC had ordered the grounding of its CV-22 fleet of 52 aircraft on August 16 in order to conduct safety investigations after a string of incidents involving high clutch engagement (HCE). CV-22 operations resumed September 2 “with risk control mitigations in place,” however, the root cause of the HCE issue has not yet been identified, AFSOC officials said.