Air Force Osprey Parts Failure Triggers Another Military-Wide Flight Pause for Troubled Aircraft

The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have all paused Osprey operations following another parts failure, this time with the Air Force’s version of the aircraft during a training mission in New Mexico last month.

Neil Lobeda, a spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command, which oversees the Osprey Joint Program Office, told Military.com that the command recommended the pause on Friday for the aircraft flown by the three services. He confirmed that the recommendation stems from a recent incident with an Air Force aircraft.

The latest operational pause for the Osprey aircraft and news of an unknown parts failure come a little more than one year after a deadly Air Force CV-22 incident that occurred in Japan and killed the eight airmen aboard. Families of service members who died in Japan, and of Marines killed in an earlier crash, have sued the companies that manufacture the Osprey.

Read Next: Compromise Defense Bill Would Give Junior Troops 14.5% Pay Raise in 2025

“Out of an abundance of caution, NAVAIR recommended an operational pause for all V-22 Osprey variants Dec. 6, 2024,” Lobeda told Military.com. “This decision comes following a recent precautionary landing of a CV-22. There were no injuries to the crew.”

Lt. Col. Rebecca Heyse, an Air Force Special Operations Command spokesperson, said the service is pausing the use of its Ospreys as a result of the NAVAIR recommendation.

“In concurrence with their recommendation, Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, AFSOC commander, has directed a pause for all CV-22 flight training operations,” Heyse told Military.com, referring to that service’s variant. “A pause in flight training operations allows time and space for us to understand what happened in the most recent event before we accept risk with unknown variables.”

The incident happened Nov. 20 during a training mission at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, Heyse said. Four people were onboard the aircraft, and there were no injuries to the crew or damage to the Osprey from the landing.

“The incident is under investigation, and initial indications are there was a materiel failure that has not been seen before, leading to the recommendation for an operational pause while analysis is conducted to determine if the current flight restrictions are adequate or additional need to be implemented,” Heyse said.

The Navy also ordered its CMV-22B fleet, its version of the Osprey, to pause operations following the recommendation.

“Today, Naval Air Forces directed an operational pause for all U.S. Navy CMV-22B Ospreys following a recommendation from Naval Air Systems Command,” said Charles Spirtos, a Navy spokesperson. “The operational pause allows us to determine if any additional safety measures are necessary.”

A Navy official told Military.com on Monday that there are CMV-22Bs on aircraft carriers abroad but added there’s no impact to the service at the moment and officials are monitoring the situation.

The Marine Corps implemented a “96-hour operational pause for non-essential flight operations” starting Friday for its version of the Osprey, the MV-22, a spokesperson said.

“This pause will give us time to determine if any additional measures are necessary to ensure the continued safety and effectiveness of this critical capability,” the spokesperson added. “The Marine Corps remains confident in the safety and effectiveness of the MV-22.”

Military.com first and exclusively reported on an internal safety board report detailing that the failure of a single high-speed planetary pinion gear was a key reason for the deadly crash last year in Japan. That internal report also showed the failure was comparable to seven other failures stretching back to 2013.

That internal safety board report also named Universal Stainless as the subcontractor responsible for making the metal for the gear that failed. Military.com also recently reported that that company had a long history of allegations regarding substandard steel for aircraft parts — namely a 2001 lawsuit against the manufacturer.

Universal Stainless, as well as Boeing and Bell Textron, the manufacturers of the aircraft, were named in a recent wrongful death lawsuit brought by the estate of Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, one of the eight air commandos killed in Japan.

Similarly, in May, four families of Marines killed in a 2022 V-22 Osprey training crash in California also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturers of the Osprey.

Additionally, congressional lawmakers recently asked the Pentagon to ground the aircraft and be more transparent in the safety issues plaguing the Osprey.

Related: Family of Airman Killed in Japan Osprey Crash Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Story Continues