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An Osprey plane carrying five Marines crashed near Glamis, California, north of the Mexican border, around 12:25 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the 3rd Wing of Naval Aircraft, the California-based unit responsible for the MV-22B Osprey, declined to comment on potential deaths. Military and civilian first aid services are at the scene, he said.
“We are asking for the public’s patience as we work diligently with first aid and the department to identify what happened this afternoon,” the Marines said in an email statement.
The Marines have denied posting on social media alleging the plane may have been carrying nuclear material. “There was no nuclear material on board the plane,” the Marines said.
Officials in Imperial County, where Glamis is based, could not be reached for comment immediately, but county officials wrote on social media that they were aware of the downed plane and were assisting. Glamis, east of San Diego, is a desert known for its sand dunes.
Osprey planes, used by the US and Japanese military, take off and land vertically like helicopters, but fly like planes. The MV-22B – which combines the flexibility of a helicopter that can operate in a variety of environments with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft – is used primarily to transport troops and equipment in support of airborne attacks.
Marines launch a kamikaze drone from an Osprey plane
But the plane’s safety records were checked. More than 40 people have died while flying Ospreys since 1991.
In March, Osprey crashed during a NATO exercise in Norway, killing four US servicemen. In 2017, Osprey Marines crashed in Syria, injuring two. That same year, three Marines were killed in a crash in Australia. In 2014, Osprey briefly lost power while flying over the Persian Gulf, killing one Marine. One of the deadliest crashes occurred in April 2000, killing all 19 Marines aboard a V-22 Osprey with an inclined rotor.
A spokesman for Bell, which produces Osprey in partnership with Boeing, said the company was expecting details of the incident but was ready to help the Marines.
Osprey has also been involved in five Class B accidents in the last fiscal year, according to the Center for Naval Safety, which he describes as incidents causing between $ 600,000 and $ 2.5 million in property damage and resulting in permanent partial disability or three hospitalizations. .
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