WASHINGTON (AP) — The navy has ordered new security tips for a key half in all Osprey plane after a current accident revealed the identical downside that brought on a deadly crash in Japan final 12 months.
Throughout a Nov. 20 flight involving a CV-22B Osprey in New Mexico, the crew obtained warnings that the steel gears contained in the plane’s transmission, generally known as the proprotor gearbox, had been in hassle.
They misplaced an engine, however as a consequence of classes realized from the crash in Japan that killed eight service members, the Air Drive Particular Operations Command crew in New Mexico shortly obtained the plane on the bottom and survived.
Investigators opened up the failed and badly broken transmission from final month’s flight, discovering the identical kind of steel weaknesses — referred to as inclusions — that led to gears breaking up in an analogous manner within the Japan crash in November 2023.
Beneath tips introduced Friday, all Ospreys with proprotor gearboxes underneath a sure variety of flight hours will likely be topic to further security restrictions. The restrictions have an effect on the newer transmissions as a result of investigators have discovered that the steel weaknesses, if they will happen, occur early on.
The steel weaknesses have been tied to the way in which the alloys are manufactured. There’s a hardier manufacturing technique out there, however it is going to require alternative of the costly transmissions, a course of that probably would take years to finish for the entire roughly 400 plane within the navy’s fleet.
An in-depth investigation into the Osprey by The Related Press discovered that issues of safety have elevated up to now 5 years, elements are sporting out sooner than anticipated and that the design of the plane itself is straight contributing to most of the accidents.
Naval Air Methods Command, which runs the Osprey program throughout the navy branches, stated Friday that the extra security controls “will remain in place” till the proprotor gearboxes are changed.
“Due to operational security concerns, the specifics of the V-22 flight-hour threshold, number of aircraft affected and additional flight controls will not be released,” NAVAIR stated in an announcement.