Five Marines died in an aircraft crash caused by a severe mechanical failure.
The Marine Corps Concludes Investigation into Aircraft Crash
The Marine Corps has recently concluded its investigation into a tragic aircraft crash that claimed the lives of five service members. The investigation findings reveal that a mechanical failure was responsible for the accident.
The incident occurred on June 8, 2022, during a training mission near Glamis, California. The victims, Cpl. Nathan Carlson, Capt. Nicholas Losapio, Cpl. Seth Rasmuson, Lance Cpl. Evan Strickland, and Capt. John Sax, were all assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
“It was determined the pilots and aircrew were conducting routine flight operations in accordance with applicable regulations when a catastrophic, unpreventable and unanticipated mechanical failure occurred,” the statement said.
The investigation, released by the V-22 Joint Program Office, confirmed that neither the pilots nor the aircrew made any errors, and no maintenance mistakes contributed to the crash.
The cause of the mishap was identified as a dual hard clutch engagement, resulting in a failure of the single engine and interconnect drive system. This failure led to a catastrophic loss of thrust on the right-hand proprotor, ultimately causing the crash.
Efforts to Enhance Safety
Col. Brian Taylor, PMA-275 program manager, stated, “Our latest research and mitigation efforts produced several new findings that significantly increased our understanding of the HCE phenomenon. While the definitive root cause for all HCE events has not yet been identified, we are using this new information to implement solutions designed to reduce the likelihood of an HCE event and increase aircrew safety.”
In collaboration with the original equipment manufacturer, the Marine Corps has developed a new Proprotor Gearbox Input Quill Assembly to prevent unintentional clutch disengagements and hard clutch engagement events. Additionally, they have made improvements to the aircraft’s flight control system software, drivetrain component material strength, and inspection requirements. Furthermore, a crash-survivable, high-temperature, fire-resistant flight data recorder has been integrated into all MV-22B aircraft.
These measures aim to enhance the safety of aircrew members and prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future.
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