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The US Air Force and Navy have been given the all-clear to begin flying their V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft again after major inspections of critical gearboxes were conducted following a recent incident that raised safety concerns.
Some shit you should know before you read: Back on December 9th, the entire fleet of V-22 Ospreys was grounded following an incident involving an Air Force CV-22 near Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. According to the Pentagon, the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to gearbox issues. This incident occurred shortly after similar incidents in recent months and follows a deadly November 2023 crash in Japan, where a cracked gear with metallurgical impurities caused a catastrophic failure, resulting in the deaths of all eight airmen on board.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command) confirmed that V-22 Osprey flights could resume following thorough inspections of the aircraft’s proprotor gearboxes to address safety concerns. NAVAIR directed crews to verify the total flight hours logged by each gearbox, with findings indicating that gearboxes exceeding a specific flight-hour threshold posed significantly lower risks. These aircraft were cleared to fly under restrictions initially outlined in March 2024, while gearboxes with fewer hours were subjected to stricter operational limitations to mitigate potential failures.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the US Navy said, “The US Navy has resumed flight operations of the CMV-22B Osprey in accordance with NAVAIR fleet bulletin and interim flight clearance for the V-22 Osprey program. The Navy has confidence in the analysis by NAVAIR as the Airworthiness Certification Authority for the V-22 program, and Commander, Naval Air Forces will remain in close collaboration with key senior leaders across three services and continue to work to ensure our pilots and aircrew can fly and operate safely.”
This all comes as families of service members killed in previous V-22 Osprey crashes have filed lawsuits against the aircraft’s manufacturers, Boeing and Bell, as well as subcontractors. The lawsuits allege negligence in design and manufacturing, with claims that substandard materials and flawed engineering have directly contributed to the deadly incidents. Universal Stainless, a subcontractor that has been sued, has been scrutinized for providing allegedly defective steel used in critical components, such as the pinion gears linked to the 2023 crash in Japan.
