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:

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has resumed CV-22 Osprey flight operations after a two-week grounding due to "high clutch engagement" (HCE) incidents in the gearbox.
Operations recommenced with "risk control mitigations" and crew training on handling HCEs, although the root cause of the issue, which can lead to rapid power transfer and potential loss of aircraft control, has not yet been identified.
The HCE issue has led to four incidents in AFSOC CV-22s in the last five years, while the Marine Corps, despite experiencing more HCEs historically across V-22 variants, chose not to ground its MV-22 Osprey fleet.

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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.