June 15, 2012
During a routine training mission in Florida, an Osprey CV-22 aircraft crashed and injured five Air Force men Wednesday evening, reports nwfdailynews.com.
The aircraft was found upside down and on fire just off Eglin Air Force Base.
The five airmen aboard the Osprey included a major—the pilot, listed in stable condition; a captain—a co-pilot, listed in stable condition; a staff sergeant—the flight engineer, listed in guarded condition; and two technicians—both flight engineers, listed in stable condition.
The Air Force decided to stand down CV-22 operations Thursday while the squadron worked to take care of the families of the five airmen.
The $ 70 million Osprey was developed in 2006 to replace transport helicopters. It can carry 24 troops and fly twice as fast as the transport helicopters while retaining the ability to hover.
“We can’t speculate on the cause of the crash,” said the commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing. “A board of officials is investigating the accident, and no information regarding the cause of the mishap will be available until after the investigations are complete.
“However, at this time we have no reason to suspect any fundamental design flaws in the CV-22 aircraft, and we don’t intend to cease CV-22 operations."
If you or someone you know was injured because of a commercial, private, or military aircraft accident, the aviation accident attorneys at Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy may be able to help.