Marine Corps: Hard Clutch Engagement Issue Cause of Fatal MV-22B Crash

Five Marines were killed when the Osprey went down during a training exercise in Southern California in June 2022.

Monday, July 24, 2023 at 03:35 PM ET

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The MV-22 Osprey’s mission for the U.S. Marine Corps is the transportation of troops, equipment, and supplies from ships and land bases for combat assault and assault support. [Courtesy: Naval Air Systems Command]

Key Takeaways:

The June 2022 MV-22B Osprey crash that killed five Marines was caused by a dual hard clutch engagement, leading to a single engine and interconnect drive system failure and a catastrophic loss of thrust.
The investigation found no aircraft maintenance or aircrew errors, concluding that the crew could not have anticipated or prevented the mishap.
In response, the Marine Corps is installing crash-survivable flight data recorders and coordinating with the OEM to design a new proprotor gearbox input quill assembly and improve drivetrain and flight control system software to mitigate future clutch engagement events.

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A safety issue involving the clutch of a MV-22B was the root cause of a crash last summer that killed all five crew members on board, according to the U.S. Marine Corps.

The MV-22B went down near Glamis, California, on June 8, 2022, during a training mission. The Marines identified those on board who died as Captain Nicholas P. Losapio, Captain John J. Sax, Corporal. Nathan E. Carlson, Corporal Seth D. Rasmuson, and Lance Corporal Evan A. Strickland.