The U.S. Air Force has grounded all 52 of its CV-22 Osprey aircraft indefinitely after two safety incidents occurred in the past six weeks, Air Force Special Operations Command officials said Wednesday.
The grounding will remain in effect until the root cause of the safety concerns has been identified, spokeswoman Lt. Col. Becky Heyse told Breaking Defense.
AIR FORCE CONDUCTS TEST OF NUCLEAR-CAPABLE MISSILE
AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife ordered the grounding due to a problem with the clutch, Heyse said. The clutch, which connects the craft’s engines to the propeller, keeps slipping for an unknown reason. When the slip occurs, the power transfers to the other engine, which has been designed to keep the craft in the air if one engine fails.
After the slip, the initial clutch often reengages and the power shifts back to the original propeller rotor and engine.
The problem has not caused any deaths or injuries, Heyse said, but airman safety is a top priority for the military branch.
“The safety of our Airmen is of the utmost importance, therefore no AFSOC CV-22s will fly until we will determine the cause of the hard clutch engagements and risk control measures are put in place,” Heyse said.
It is unclear whether the problem is caused by a failure in the craft’s mechanics, design, or software — or some combination of the three — but a joint investigation with the Joint Program Office is underway, Heyse added. It is also unclear whether the problem affects the V-22s belonging to the Marine Corps and Navy.
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An MV-22 crash in Norway in March led to the deaths of four Marines, and a different crash occurred in California in June that killed five Marines. As a result, all Marine Aircraft units were grounded to review best practices and safety procedures.
