TOKYO, Japan – The U.S. Air Force concluded a month-long search and recovery operation following the crash of a CV-22B Osprey off the southern Japanese coast in late November. The crash resulted in the tragic deaths of eight crew members. Although the remains of seven crew members were recovered, the Air Force was unable to find the body of Maj. Eric Spendlove, a medical operations flight commander. The search and recovery efforts involved numerous agencies, including the Japan Coast Guard, Japanese Self-Defense Forces, local authorities, and fishers.
The U.S. military ship recovered the wreckage from the Osprey aircraft, and the Air Force also retrieved the flight data recorder, known as the “black box,” from the crash site. The analysis of the black box data is expected to take several weeks. Additionally, most of the wreckage has been recovered from the sea floor and transported to the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, in the Yamaguchi prefecture, for further analysis.
The Air Force expressed regret for not being able to find the last crew member and announced its focus on determining the cause of the crash. Rear Adm. Jeromy Williams, Commander of Special Operations Command Pacific, emphasized that the main priority since the mishap had been locating and bringing the crew members back to their families.
Following the crash, the entire Osprey fleet has been grounded after the Air Force linked a material failure of the aircraft to the incident, rather than human error. Japan, the only international partner flying the Osprey, has also grounded its fleet and requested the U.S. military not to fly its Ospreys deployed to American bases in Japan until safety is confirmed.
The CV-22B Osprey is a hybrid aircraft capable of taking off and landing like a helicopter but cruising at a much faster speed, like an airplane, during flight. This crash, along with previous fatal accidents involving the Osprey, has raised concerns about its safety and prompted a congressional oversight committee to launch an investigation into the matter.
The families of the crew members have been notified of the conclusion of the search, and the U.S. military and Japanese authorities continue their efforts to determine the cause of the crash and ensure the safety of the Osprey fleet.