Air Force says gearbox failure led to Osprey crash near Japan
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A failure of a gearbox caused an Osprey aircraft last year to crash off the coast of Japan, killing all eight people aboard, though the crew’s actions also were blamed for the accident, according to the U.S. Air Force.
The Air Force’s V-22 Osprey was on a routine training mission from Yokota Air Base when it crashed Nov. 29 near Yakushima island. The remains of seven crew were recovered, but an eighth wasn’t located after a six-week search.
U.S. military grounded its fleet of more than 400 V-22 Ospreys, which were built by a joint venture between Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Textron’s (TXT), for three months after the crash. Sixty-one U.S. service members and other passengers have died in 11 crashes of the Osprey since 1992.