The U.S. Department of Defense has ordered a temporary pause in flights of V-22 Ospreys after weakened metals were found in one of the engines of a aircraft that suffered an engine failure in November in New Mexico.
The grounding was recommended by Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, head of Naval Air Systems Command, effective Monday, and was followed by the Air Force.
The incident occurred Nov. 20 at Cannon AFB and was similar to a Japanese V-22 crash just over a year ago that killed eight people on board.
The Osprey, the world’s only tilt-rotor aircraft in service, was grounded for months while an investigation was completed.
The aircraft returned to service in the United States, but Japan only announced its reactivation last month, after an investigation found that the crew ignored the seriousness of the problem.
Weakened spots
According to an investigation by the Associated Press, the Osprey’s safety problems have worsened over the past five years, with parts showing premature wear.
Last year’s accident in Japan was caused by weakened spots in critical transmission gears that fell apart in flight.
The incident in New Mexico had similar warnings to the crew who decided to land the V-22 even with only one engine operating.
Development of the tilt-rotor Osprey began in the 1980s after tests by Bell and Boeing with smaller prototypes.
The aircraft completed its first flight in 1989 but only entered service in June 2007. In that time, 64 people died and 93 others were injured in accidents.
