Air Force Says Failure Cause in Deadly V-22 Crash Still Unknown

A probe into the reason for the mishap that killed eight off the coast of Japan in November remains ongoing, the service said.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 12:07 PM ET

Verified

A CV-22 Osprey assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command prepares to land during an aerial demonstration at Wittman Regional Airport, Wisconsin in July, 2021. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

Air Force investigators are still determining the root cause of the deadly CV-22 Osprey crash off Japan in November that killed eight service members, although a specific "material failure" has been identified.
Following the crash, the Air Force grounded its CV-22 fleet, prompting the Navy and Marine Corps to also ground all V-22 variants as a precautionary measure.
Ongoing investigations involve extensive engineering testing and analysis to understand the cause of the material failure, with a priority on informing a safe "return to fly" and preventing future mishaps.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Air Force accident investigators continue to search for the root cause behind the deadly CV-22 Osprey crash off the coast of Japan in November that killed eight service members on board the tiltrotor aircraft.

The CV-22 assigned to the Air Force’s 353rd Special Operations Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, went down offshore of Yakushima Island on November 29 with eight crewmembers on board during a routine training mission. There were no survivors.