US military orders new safety guidelines for key Osprey part after near-crash
WASHINGTON — The military has ordered new safety guidelines for a key component of all Osprey aircraft after a recent accident came to light same problem that was caused a fatal accident in Japan last year.
During a Nov. 20 flight on a CV-22B Osprey in New Mexico, the crew received warnings that the metal gears in the plane’s transmission, known as the proprotor gearbox, were in trouble.
They lost an engine, but because of that lessons learned After the crash in Japan that killed eight service members, the Air Force Special Operations Command crew in New Mexico quickly got the plane to the ground and survived.
Investigators opened up the failed and badly damaged transmission from last month’s flight and found the same kind of metal weaknesses – called inclusions – that caused gears to disintegrate in a similar way during the November 2023 crash in Japan.
After the near crash in New Mexico, all military services disappeared have landed their ospreyswhich for the second time this year can fly both as a helicopter and as an airplane. However, the Marines put their Ospreys back in the air days later.
Under the guidelines announced Friday, all Ospreys with proprotor gearboxes under a certain number of flight hours will be subject to additional safety restrictions. The restrictions affect the newer transmissions because researchers have found that the metal weaknesses, if they occur at all, occur early.
The metal weaknesses are linked to the way the alloys are manufactured. A more robust production method is available, but it requires replacing the expensive transmissions, a process that will likely take years for all of the approximately 400 aircraft in the military fleet.
An in-depth examination of the Osprey by The Associated Press found that safety problems have increased over the past five years, that parts are wearing out faster than expected and that the design of the aircraft itself directly contributes to many of the accidents.
Naval Air Systems Command, which manages the Osprey program for all military branches, said Friday that the additional safety controls “will remain in effect” until the proprotor gearboxes are replaced.
“Due to operational safety concerns, details of the V-22 flight hour threshold, number of affected aircraft and additional flight controls will not be released,” NAVAIR said in a statement.