Two months into an investigation that was only supposed to take a week, an acceptable definite cause for the deaths of 19 Marines is still not available. The Marines were flying one of the new "mission-capable" Osprey helicopters when it suddenly crashed into the ground as the pilots were trying to land.

This article well give you an insight into the history of the extremely controversial Osprey program and raise some important questions regarding the companies and government agencies that have defied defeat.

 

Marine Corps aircraft crashes in Arizona, killing 19
CNN April 9, 2000

MARANA, Arizona (CNN) -- An experimental Marine Corps aircraft crashed in flames during a training mission in Arizona Saturday night, killing everyone on board, authorities said.

A spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety told CNN the plane was attempting to land at an airport near Marana. The aircraft -- carrying 19 people -- suddenly plunged nose-first into the ground.

Firefighters said witnesses reported seeing the MV-22 Osprey head "straight downward," said Katy Heiden, spokeswoman for the Northwest Fire District.

"It was fully engulfed and there were small explosions," she said.

Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Jones and Air Force Chief of Staff Michael Ryan will be the first passengers on the Osprey when it returns to service. This public relations display to elevate confidence levels may appease some people, but confidence does not stop Ospreys from crashing.

 Beginnings of a Beautiful Relationship

On 23 May 1997, two Marine pilots picked up an AH-1 Cobra helicopter after a yearlong $1.8 million overhaul provided by the builders, Bell Helicopters. Twenty minutes after take off they died. The 1500-degree F explosion fed by 300 gallons of jet fuel ensured that no cause could ever be found as to why the engines of this helicopter suddenly stopped.

The Cobra helicopter was ordered to stay on the ground by the Pentagon because of urgent safety problems that could result in a loss of engine power if not fixed. For some reason, Bell allowed the take off. The blame was then tossed around between Bell and the Army, who was responsible for monitoring Bells operations. A Marine officer finally announced (against evidence from a previous investigation) that it believed pilot error was to blame because they did not land the helicopter safely.

It was convenient for both the Marines and Bell to put the blame on the pilot. It cleared them from any wrongdoing and Bell escaped without even a token punishment. At the same time, the Osprey program started to look promising with the test program on the horizon. Lawrence Korb, who oversaw Pentagon logistics and personnel during the Reagan Administration said, "If the Marines come down hard on Bell, the whole [Osprey] program could be called into question."

This was the first public display of affection between the Marines and Bell Corporation. After this, it was obvious the two were going to look out for each other and protect their new Osprey helicopter like the parents of a newborn child.

Birth Complications

The first of the Osprey crashes occurred on 11 June 1991 at an airport in Delaware. It was only three minutes into the maiden flight and fifteen feet off the ground when it experienced problems with the gyros and crashed into the ground. Luckily nobody died. The second crash occurred on 20 July 1992 during a demonstration flight in Quantico Virgina. An engine caught on fire as it took off resulting in the deaths of three Marines and four civilians.

As expected, the Bush administration tried extremely hard to cancel the whole Osprey program due to the huge expenses involved and poor safety record of the aircraft. The original recommendation to cancel the Osprey program was in 1986. This was when the Pentagons budget was 40% higher than it is now and the cost of Ospreys significantly lower than it is today. When President Clinton won office, a push from the Marine Corps resulted in a revived Osprey program with boosted funding. Clinton offered the public a senseless rationale that aside from military value, commercial benefits would result from the Osprey program in the form of solutions to traffic congestion in larger cities. Go figure.

Throughout the years the Osprey has attracted lots of negative criticism:

• 1992: Navy Secretary Sean O’Keefe told the House Armed Services Committee, "The V-22 [Ospreys] cannot be built to meet the requirements specified. It’s an engineering impossibility."
• 1994: The GAO said the Ospreys primary components "remain inadequate or untested".
• 1994: The Pentagons inspector general said the Osprey program had commenced development "without proper authorisation" and without "formal review". This was due to "highly unusual political factors."
• 1997: The Defence Department criticised the aircraft tests as "extremely artificial".
• 1998: The GAO concluded, "after 15 years of development effort, the V-22 [Osprey] design has not been stabilised."
• 2000: O’Keefe said, "The technology was a revolutionary concept that lit the imagination of lawmakers, and the contractors fuelled that fire."

This aircraft has been developed in a shroud of "highly unusual political factors", and to this day remains covered in that same shroud. Nobody in government seems willing enough to unveil the truth about this program and expose the incompetence of those involved.

The Only Child

The Marines rely heavily on Bell for the production of their helicopters. They have essentially risked everything because they have not developed any other alternatives to the Osprey aircraft. The program must go ahead or the Marines will be left high, dry and looking very foolish. Bell enjoys approximately 95% of the Marines helicopter budget which equates to about $1 billion annually. These dependencies seem to have played a large part in putting the blame on the pilot for the Cobra crash, and the decision to let Bell off the hook.

The Osprey is currently set to be placed on full operational status in 18 to 24 months. At approximately $44 millions each, they do not come cheap and yet the orders are high.

V22 Osprey Tilt Rotor Orders Marine Corps 360 Airforce 50 Navy 48

The 360 ordered by the Marines are planned to be in use by 2014. These orders will no doubt provide some financial security for the Bell Corporation and a powerful force to the nations defence capabilities.

Learning to Walk

On 8 April 2000, three years after the Cobra crash, 19 Marines were killed when their Osprey suddenly pitched nose-first into the ground as they were attempting to land at a civilian airport in Marana. Four of the troops had been assigned to a special helicopter called Marine One which is used by the US President for short trips. They were participating in a civilian evacuation exercise with three other Ospreys and an F-18 circling overhead. The exercise was part of a test program that began in October 1999 and was to conclude in June 2000.

Defence Secretary William Cohen said, "It only points out how dangerous our training missions are…" I would like to point out that the pilot was only landing the Osprey, not performing any dangerous combat manoeuvres.

Protecting the Baby

The airport was completely shutdown by authorities after the crash. The only people authorised to access the airport after it became secure were three airport personnel and one Marine. Marana Police spokesman Bill Derfus said, "The military has full control of the airport and the accident scene." Marine spokesman from the Pentagon, Maj. Patrick Gibbons said he did not know why the Osprey was landing at a civilian airport rather than Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or another military base.

The investigation team is headed by Col. Dennis Bartels from Marine Corps headquarters in Washington D.C. Conveniently enough, the Osprey was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder. However, it did carry a flight-data recorder that monitored dozens of flight characteristics. Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen James Jones said the crash was witnessed by the crew chief of one of the other Ospreys. He also said that his description of the events would play a critical role in the investigation.

In an investigation that was supposed to determine the cause "within a week", information has surfaced that brings attention to the investigation and raises questions over its validity. Marine Corps aviation official, Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle told reporters that the F-18 flying overhead recorded the crash on infrared tape. Then Marine Corps spokesman, Capt. Rob Winchester was quick to tell reporters that McCorkle had been mistaken. Therefore, who are we supposed to believe?

This news effectively limited the public’s perception of the available evidence. Now there was only the data recorder and one mans story. Civilian eyewitness descriptions have not been publicly addressed either, this leads to a summation that they have been ignored or forgotten during the investigation process. Perhaps there is a reason for this?

Reuters reported that witnesses saw the plane catch fire before smashing into the ground. The BBC also reported that witnesses saw the Osprey plunge after an explosion in the sky. Military officials refused to say whether the Osprey had exploded in the air or after it hit the ground. If these witnesses are correct, it indicates a problem with the aircraft, not pilot error.

A Marriage Set in Stone

It appears that history has repeated itself again. Officials appeared to be aiming this latest investigation towards pilot error. Is this to protect the mutually beneficial relationship by increasing public confidence in the Osprey?

• A Marine Corps spokesman said, "We’re confident in the program because of the amount of testing we’ve done and the number of hours we’ve flown it. We’ve really put this aircraft through its paces."
• Spokeswoman for the Pentagon Marine Corps headquarters said, "We really don’t feel there’s a design flaw."
• Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Jones said, "These are certified airworthy aircraft."
• "We see no problems whatsoever with the aircraft", said Lt. Gen. Fred McCorkle.

These and other similar statements laid the groundwork for an announcement that pilot error was indeed to blame. The pilots apparently made the Osprey descend too fast without enough forward motion. This scenario can result in a "vortex ring state" which causes a helicopter to settle in its own downwash reducing the efficiency of its rotors. The helicopter then descends rapidly and can sometimes be impossible to escape.

The Vortex Ring State is a well-known phenomenon and pilots are extensively trained to avoid it. The two pilots of the crashed Osprey were Maj. John Brow and Maj. Brooks Gruber. They were experienced pilots that had flown many types of aircraft in their lifetimes. Gruber had 2,117 hours of flight experience, 86 of which were in the Osprey. Brow had a total of 3,777 flight hours, 97 of which were in the Osprey helicopter. The likelihood of these professional pilots getting themselves into the Vortex Ring State seems very remote.

A 24-year-old victim’s mother said that her son had voiced concerns about flying the Ospreys. "He enlisted to be a career man, and they killed him. They wanted him to be a guinea pig for these new airplanes."

The father of another victim, Staff Sgt. William Bryan Nelson said his son considered the plane, "experimental" and that it frequently encountered mechanical problems. "He told me it was so fragile, he didn’t think it was ready to fly yet."

Engineers and pilots involved with the Osprey program have expressed their concerns that previous questions will be revived about the safety of the aircraft. If the aircraft is truly airworthy, why are they worried about questions? Perhaps they do not like the answers.

Deaths in the Family