Navy orders investigation into latest Osprey mishaps
By ANTHONY J. SANFILIPPO ,
[email protected] 07/08/2004
The Navy has convened a board to investigate the latest problems with the V-22 Osprey aircraft.
Following two test flights that went awry off the coast of Maryland, the Navy was required to enlist the board because the estimated cost of damage was between $20,000 and $1 million, or a "class B mishap."
The V-22 is a plane-helicopter hybrid being developed jointly by Bell Helicopter Textron in Texas and the Boeing Co. in Ridley.
The most recent malfunction occurredJune 28 when a blower that cools oil for the tilt-rotor failed as the aircraft hovered above the deck of the USS Iwo Jima.
The pilot was forced to land the Osprey in what officials call a "land as soon as possible emergency."
Without the cooling system, a pilot has only three minutes to land the V-22 before the rotors are destroyed.
However, if the Osprey is in airplane mode, the aircraft can fly, although the rotors would be destroyed when it lands.
This was the first incident of its kind in more than 6,000 flight hours.
The V-22, is no stranger to mishap review.
Two fatal crashes in 2000 forced officials to overhaul and restructure the program.
"This is totally routine and is done all the time," said Boeing spokesman Jack Satterfield. "By doing this, the Navy is looking to avoid similar incidents in the future."
Satterfield said there would be no effect on the production of the V-22 because test flights are continuing.
"There have been other minor incidents with the V-22 like this one, like warning lights going off in the cockpit," Satterfield said, "but nothing that would put the aircraft in significant jeopardy."
According to Satterfield, the problem has already been isolated and it appears the fan that failed was an older model, made by an outside contractor, that has since been upgraded and replaced in newer prototypes.
Navy officials have decided that a separate Judge Advocate General investigation is not needed.
Unlike JAG investigations, the details of a mishap board investigation are generally not made public.
ŠThe Daily Times 2004