US Marine Osprey crashes in California killing 5 as NUCLEAR rumors debunked
A military plane, MV-22B Osprey crashed in the Imperial County area of South California, near Route 78, with five people on board on Wednesday, June 8. The plane, which belonged to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, went down at 12.25 pm. On Thursday, June 9, the United States Marine Corps confirmed the death of five marines on board in a statement. The names and ages of the Marines are yet to be released.
Maj Gen Bradford J Gering, @3rdmaw Commanding General said, “We mourn the loss of our Marines in this tragic mishap. Our hearts go out to their families and friends as they cope with this tragedy.”
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“We mourn the loss of our Marines in this tragic mishap. Our hearts go out to their families and friends as they cope with this tragedy.” - Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, @3rdmaw Commanding General https://t.co/RMuLkK5ez4
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) June 9, 2022
Soon after the crash, the Naval Air Facility El Centro took to social media to report the news, followed by a press release, "We can confirm that an aircraft belonging to 3d Marine Aircraft Wing crashed near Glamis, California. Military and civilian first responders are on site. Contrary to initial reports, there was no nuclear material on board the aircraft. More information will be made available as we receive it," the post read.
It was originally reported that the plane may have been carrying nuclear material, however, this was later denied by the US Marines as well. Refuting the speculation, they released a statement on Twitter, “An aircraft belonging to @3rdmaw has crashed near Glamis, CA. Military and civilian first responders are on site. Contrary to social media rumors, there was no nuclear material on board the aircraft. More information will be made available as we receive it.”
An aircraft belonging to @3rdmaw has crashed near Glamis, CA. Military and civilian first responders are on site.
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) June 8, 2022
Contrary to social media rumors, there was no nuclear material on board the aircraft. More information will be made available as we receive it.
MCAS Yuma too posted pictures on Facebook after the crash, showing hours of a training operation taking place. MCAS Yuma wrote: "An MV-22B Osprey with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) transports ordnance during an Expeditionary Advanced Base Operation (EABO) exercise to Old Highway 101 near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, May 25, 2022. This exercise will continue to assess the overall U.S. Marine Corps’ EABOs to improve requirements and sustain lessons learned for future deployments to support the air combat element and objectives of Force Design 2030."
The history of MV-22B Osprey
The Osprey program faced several developmental challenges since its first flight in 1989, including several crashes during tests that resulted in 30 deaths. But the Navy and Marine Corps developed new flight techniques and enhanced systems before it first deployed to Iraq in support of Marine operations in Anbar province and the aircraft has proven safer than many rotary-wing aircraft in the fleet.
As per Military.com, the MV-22B Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft, built by Boeing, which can carry around 24 Marine combat troops, twice as fast and five times farther than previous helicopters.
Accidents involving V-22 Osprey
June 1991: A miswired flight control system led to two minor injuries when the left nacelle struck the ground causing it to bounce and catch fire.
July 1992: A leaking gearbox led to a fire in the right nacelle, causing the aircraft to drop into the Potomac River in front of an audience of Congressmen and other government officials at Quantico, killing seven crewmen and grounding the aircraft for 11 months.
April 2000: The aircraft attempted to land at Marana Northwest Regional Airport in Arizona. It descended quickly from a high altitude with a forward speed when it suddenly stalled and rolled over, crashed, and exploded, killing 19 on board.
December 2000: A vibration-induced chafing from an adjacent wiring bundle caused a leak from the hydraulic line which fed the primary side of the swashplate actuators to the right side rotor blade controls. This leak caused a Primary Flight Control System (PFCS) alert. The uncontrollable aircraft fell into a forest in Jacksonville, North Carolina, killing four aboard.