Military aircraft crashes in Southern California
A military aircraft has crashed in California’s Imperial County killing four people who were on board, according to reports.
The MV-22B Osprey came down in Imperial County near Highway 78 and the town of Glamis, around 30 miles north of the Mexican border, and more than 150 miles east of San Diego, says The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Rescuers are searching for a fifth person who was onboard the aircraft, according to dispatchers.
The crash was confirmed by Naval Air Facility El Centro, which is around 30 miles from the crash site.
“NAFEC has just received reports of a downed aircraft in the vicinity of Coachella Canal Road and Highway 78. Installation, federal fire and Imperial County Fire Department are responding,” stated Naval Air Facility El Centro’s Facebook page.
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Third military crash with fatalities this month
The MV-22B Osprey crash in California on Wednesday is the third incident with fatalities this month, reported Los Angeles Times.
On 3 June Navy pilot Lt. Richard Bullock, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 113, was killed when his F/A-18E Super Hornet jet crashed near Trona, California about 250 miles from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
On the same day, Electronics Technician 2nd Class John Deltoro was killed in a vehicle crash while returning from training at Camp Billy Machen near Niland in Imperial County.
The crash involved Deltoro and five other sailors, all of whom were part of a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit.
Sravasti Dasgupta9 June 2022 08:00
Osprey’s troubled history
While versions of the Osprey aircraft are flown by the Marines, Navy and Air Force-it has had a controversial history.
There have been eight Osprey crashes since the Pentagon made the aircraft operational in 2007.
Wednesday’s crash added to at least 46 fatalities since the military began testing the aircraft, reported the Los Angeles Times citing crash records.
In March, four Marines were killed in another Osprey crash during a NATO exercise in Norway.
The aircraft has been emboiled in safety and maintenance issues during development in the 1990s and 2000s, reported the Los Angeles Times.
In 2001, a commander of the Marine Corps of the MV-22 Osprey training squadron was suspended amid allegations that he had urged subordinates to falsify maintenance records, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times.
In a November 2000 study, the Pentagon’s top testing official said that the Osprey had unusually high maintenance needs and suffered from problems that, unless corrected, would make it unreliable and often unavailable for missions.
There were two fatal Osprey crashes in 2000 that led to the suspension and the study.
Sravasti Dasgupta9 June 2022 07:30
Military accidents around San Diego region
Several training accidents involving various military vehicles have been reported from the San Diego region in recent years, reported The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Last August, five San Diego sailors were killed when a helicopter crashed on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln’s flight deck and fell into the ocean.
A probe by the Navy found a damaged rotor part was to blame.
In August 2020, Black Hawk helicopter crashed on San Clemente Island killing two soldiers and injuring three others.In the same month nine service members — ages 18 to 23 — were killed when an amphibious transport sank off San Clemente Island.
Sravasti Dasgupta9 June 2022 07:00
Osprey crash is second military accident in a week in Southern California
The crash of an Osprey aircraft on Wednesday is the second military aviation accident in a week in the region.
Based at Naval Air Station Lemoore and part of Strike Fighter Squadron 113, the lietenant was flying a routine training mission, according to the Navy.
He crashed in a remote, unpopulated area, and the incident is currently under investigation.
Sravasti Dasgupta9…
Read More: Military plane crash: Four reported dead in California after aircraft goes down