On April 8, 2000, a V-22 Osprey aircraft operated by the United States Marine Corps crashed during a night training exercise at Marana Regional Airport near Tucson, Arizona. The accident killed all 19 US Marines on board and deepened the debate over the reliability of the Osprey.
It was then determined that the aircraft had entered an aerodynamic condition known as the vortex ring state, resulting from a high rate of decline that was exacerbated by pilot error. As a result of the investigative findings, the V-22 was subject to further redesign, but continued to enter into operational services in 2007.
Video 2000 Marana V-22 Crash
Accident
On April 8, 2000, the V-22 Osprey was flown by Major Brooks Gruber, and Lieutenant Colonel John Brow was conducting nighttime training exercises that simulated the evacuation of fighters at Marana Northwest Regional Airport in Marana, Arizona about twenty miles northwest of Tucson. The V-22 carried 15 passengers, all US Marines, and flew in a four-V-22 formation when the accident occurred. Two of the V-22s in the formation actually do the exercises while the other two observe their performance.
As they approach the landing site, the V-22 crash pilot realizes that they are 2,000 feet above the required height altitude and reduce power. When Lieutenant Colonel Brow flew the plane to land, the Osprey entered an erratic roll, twisted his back and slammed into the ground nose first. All 19 Marines on the plane were killed. The second V-22 also made a hard landing but did not experience any casualties.
Maps 2000 Marana V-22 Crash
Investigation
Shortly after the accident, an investigation was assigned to determine the cause. The investigation ruled out possible causes and narrowed down the plane level as the main cause. Investigators compared actual aircraft death rates with the V-22's flight desires level and found non-conformities. When the V-22 descends to the mainland, it falls at 2,000 feet per minute, well above the specified 800 feet per minute. This speed causes the aircraft to enter an aerodynamic condition known as the vortex ring state. In this condition, the vortex envelops the rotor, causing the plane to lose its lift, essentially dropping by itself.
After two months of investigation by the Marine Corps, Judge Advocate General, a final report was released that freed the plane itself from any mechanical fault and instead pinned errors at a very high error rate coupled with human error.
The report reads:
Aftermath
The accident resulted in a two-month moratorium on the V-22 test flight and subsequently delayed entry into operational military service. The Director of the Department of Defense Operational and Evaluation Test wrote a report seven months after the accident that the Osprey was not "" operationally suitable, mainly because of reliability, maintenance, availability, human factors and interoperability issues. "And begging for more research to be done into the Osprey vulnerability for the vortex ring state.However, the panel, hosted by Defense Secretary William Cohen to review the V-22 program, recommends its continuation despite many problems with safety and reliability. procurement declines, but research and development budgets increase Eight months later, another Osprey MV-22, conducting training near Jacksonville, North Carolina, crashed, killing four marines.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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