The Marine Corps on Monday recognized three Marines who had been killed in an MV-22 Osprey crash throughout an train in Australia over the weekend.
Cpl. Spencer R. Collart, 21, of Arlington, Virginia; Capt. Eleanor V. LeBeau, 29, of Belleville, Illinois; and Maj. Tobin J. Lewis, 37, of Jefferson, Colorado, died when their tiltrotor plane went down. There have been 20 different personnel on board the Osprey, and 5 had been transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in severe situation.
In an replace Monday night, the Marine Corps stated that three troops stay within the hospital. One is in essential situation, and the opposite two are secure. The opposite Marines had been handled for minor accidents and launched.
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“We’re deeply saddened by the lack of three revered and beloved members of the MRF-D household,” Col. Brendan Sullivan, commanding officer of Marine Rotational Drive — Darwin, stated in a launched assertion. “Our ideas and prayers stay with the households and with all concerned.”
The crash occurred throughout Train Predators Run, an annual multinational train held within the Northern Territory of Australia. A press launch from Marine Rotational Drive — Darwin, the dad or mum unit to the train, stated Sunday that the Osprey went down on Melville Island, north of the territory’s capital metropolis of Darwin.
CNN reported that the Australian territory’s police commissioner, Michael Murphy, stated two Ospreys departed Darwin on Sunday morning towards the Tiwi Islands. Just one crashed.
The troops concerned within the crash had been a part of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363, which relies out of Hawaii, and third Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, out of Camp Pendleton, California. The three Marines who died had been a part of the tiltrotor squadron.
LeBeau was one of many unit’s pilots, in keeping with the Marine Corps, and had been within the service since 2018. Lewis was the squadron’s govt officer and had 15 years’ expertise within the Marines. Collart enlisted within the Corps in 2020 and was the Osprey’s crew chief on the time of the crash, in keeping with the assertion.
“We want to categorical our honest gratitude to the Australian Defence Drive, Northern Territory Police, Northern Territory Authorities, CareFlight Air and Cell Providers, NT Well being, Nationwide Important Care and Trauma Response Middle, and Tiwi Island Authorities, who’ve come collectively to help us on this tough time,” the assertion stated.
The Osprey is the Marine Corps’ major assault help craft, and additionally it is utilized by the Air Drive and Navy. The Osprey has been in various high-profile accidents which have claimed the lives of greater than 50 service members because the Nineties.
An investigation stays ongoing, in keeping with the assertion, and a transparent motive for the crash just isn’t but identified.
Whereas the Osprey’s total incident price is decrease in comparison with different plane, a clutch difficulty that may shred necessary components within the airframe has develop into a distinguished difficulty. Final yr, the Air Drive, which has a smaller variety of Ospreys in comparison with the Marine Corps, grounded the plane.
The Marine Corps, which depends closely on the plane as its premier troop air supply system, has continued flying the Osprey. The service stated that it has lowered the clutch difficulty malfunction by “99%,” one thing about which relations of these in one of many newest Osprey accidents are skeptical. Final yr, 5 Marines had been killed in a crash as a result of clutch malfunctioning.
The clutch difficulty just isn’t at all times liable for lethal Osprey incidents. In March 2022, the Marine Corps reported {that a} crash that claimed the lives of 4 Marines in Norway was brought on by pilot error.
Concerning the crash in Australia on Sunday, Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that “these Marines served our nation with braveness and satisfaction, and my ideas and prayers are with their households right now, with the opposite troops who had been injured within the crash, and with the whole USMC household.”
— Drew F. Lawrence may be reached at drew.lawrence@navy.com. Comply with him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
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