US military report: MV-22 Osprey crash in Nago caused by pilot error in difficult weather

US military report: MV-22 Osprey crash in Nago caused by pilot error in difficult weather

An MV-22 Osprey aircraft belonging to the Futenma base crashed on reef off the coast of Abu, Nago City ( Photograph taken from helicopter by Futoshi Hanashiro at 1:22 p.m. on December 14, 2016)


 

September 11, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

On September 11, The Ministry of Defense announced a summary of a report by the U.S. military of an accident in which an MV-22 Osprey vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft belonging to the Futenma Air Station crashed off the coast of Abu, Nago City, in December last year.

According to the announcement, the accident was caused by the pilot making a mistake during aerial refueling training under difficult weather conditions.

The summary of the report stated there were no signs the accident was caused by an aircraft fault or by improper maintenance.

According to the Ministry of Defense’s announcement, the accident took place during aerial refueling training on the evening of December 13, 2016.

The MV-22’s right propeller was damaged when it made contact with the MC-130’s refueling basket.

This led to the accident.

On the day of the accident, the Osprey attempted to refuel from the MC-130 several times, but failed.

The pilot decided to return to the Futenma base because a warning light indicated a lack of fuel.

The MV-22 was on its way back to Futenma when its propeller was damaged during an attempted aerial refueling.

On the morning of September 11, Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, the commanding general for III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa Area Coordinator, explained the circumstances of the accident to Vice Governor Moritake Tomikawa.

 

(English translation by T&CT)

 

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