Defense Secretary Austin could be briefed as early as this week on the military’s plans to get its troubled V-22 Osprey aircraft back in the air, say defense officials.
When Evan Strickland was 13, he stood in line with his dad for 30 minutes for the chance to sit in the cockpit of a V-22 Osprey. Six years later he died in one.
The Pentagon believes it has identified the mechanical failure that led to a fatal crash of an Osprey aircraft in Japan and the grounding of the fleet for two months, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press. The Pentagon’s Joint Safety Council is now working with the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps on their plans to get Osprey crews ready to fly again, said Navy Rear Adm. Chris Engdahl, chairman of the council and commander of Naval Safety Command.
The Government Accountability Office agreed to look into the incidents following a request last month by Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Mike Waltz, R-Fla.