During military training in Australia, an Osprey airplane crash led to the injury of 23 US Marines, according to the Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy.
Five marines got sent to the hospital – one of them is having surgery – while the rest are getting help at the place it happened, according to Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles at a press conference on Sunday.
“We are putting in a lot of effort and working as quickly as possible to ensure that we can help people receive treatment,” Fyles mentioned. He also confirmed that officials from Australia have talked to their counterparts in the United States.
Fyles mentioned that the people being prioritized at the scene are waiting to be transported to Darwin. She didn’t say anyone died.
Two US Marine Osprey aircraft flew from Darwin towards the Tiwi Islands, which are approximately 80 km away, on Sunday morning, according to Murphy’s statement. An airplane had an accident on Melville Island, he said.
The spokesperson for the Australian Department of Defence said that the incident happened during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023.
Right now, we are focusing on how we’re handling the incident and making sure everyone involved is safe, the spokesperson said.
There have been many accidents involving Osprey military aircraft over the years.
In 2022, five American soldiers called Marines passed away when their airplane called MV-22B Osprey crashed during a practice mission close to Glamis, California. Four US military members died in Norway during training exercises in the same year due to a crash of their Osprey.
In 2017, there were two crashes involving Osprey military aircraft. On August 5, an aircraft crashed into the ocean near Australia, causing the death of three US marines. A military aircraft called the Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crashed in Syria on September 28, a month after the previous incident. Two service members were injured in the crash.
In the past, there were accidents involving Osprey aircraft. This information comes from CNN news reports and press releases from the US Defense Department.
On July 20, 1992, a tragic incident occurred in Virginia. During a test, an aircraft called Osprey crashed, resulting in the death of seven individuals.
On April 8, 2000, a training accident happened in Arizona that resulted in the deaths of 19 Marines. The crash happened because of a mistake made by the pilot. Investigators found that the pilot tried to land the plane too quickly and at too steep of an angle, which caused the plane to lose its upward force.
On December 11, 2000, a tragic accident occurred in North Carolina where four Marines lost their lives when an Osprey aircraft crashed. The crash was caused by issues with a hydraulic part and a problem with the airplane’s computer system.
On April 8, 2010, a US Air Force Osprey crashed in southern Afghanistan. The crash caused the deaths of three US service members and one civilian employee.
On April 11, 2012, two people from the United States were killed in a helicopter crash in Morocco.
On June 13, 2012, a military airplane called CV-22 Osprey crashed while practicing near Navarre, Florida. Five people were hurt.
On May 17, 2015, a military helicopter called MV-22 Osprey crashed in Bellows training ground in Oahu, Hawaii. Sadly, the accident caused the death of two Marines.
On December 13, 2016, a special aircraft called MV-22B Osprey landed in not-so-deep waters near Okinawa, Japan. This landing caused harm to two people.
On August 5, 2017, a MV-22B Osprey aircraft crashed into the water near Australia, resulting in the deaths of three Marines.
On September 28, 2017, a military aircraft called MV-22 Osprey crashed in Syria. Two soldiers were hurt.
On March 18, 2022, four members of the US military died in a tragic accident in Norway. They were traveling in a vehicle called MV-22 Osprey during training exercises with NATO when it crashed.
On June 8th, 2022, five United States Marines were killed after a military aircraft called an MV-22 Osprey crashed while they were training near Glamis, California.