New details about Osprey crash released | hurlburt, injured, airmen - UPDATE - Northwest Florida Daily News
UPDATE: New details about Osprey crash released
June 13, 2012 9:17 PM
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DUSTY RICKETTS / Daily News
HURLBURT FIELD — Five airmen suffered non-life threatening injuries during a training exercise when their CV-22 Osprey air-craft crashed north of Navarre on the Eglin Range Wednesday evening.
Col. Jim Slife, 1st Special Operations Wing commander, held a press conference at 10:30 a.m. today to discuss the accident.
Hurlburt Field was notified at about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday that an Osprey assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing had crashed on the Eglin Range during a routine training mission.
“This particular mission was a gunnery training mission, so it was a two aircraft formation out performing gunnery,” Slife said. “When the lead aircraft turned around in the gun pattern, they did not see their wingman behind them so they started a brief search and found they had crashed right there on the range.”
View a slideshow of the Osprey in action. »
The Osprey was found upside down and there was some fire, but it did not burn all the way to the ground.
Emergency responders from the base and Okaloosa County arrived at the scene where they found the five members of the aircrew and transported them to local hospitals.
“All five aircrew members on board the aircraft were injured to varying degrees and were transported to area hospitals,” Slife said.
Major Brian Luce, one of the pilots, was transported to Eglin Air Force Base hospital where he is listed in stable condition.
Captain Brett Cassidy, the second pilot, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where he is listed in stable condition.
Master Sgt. Sean McMahon, flight engineer, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where he is listed in guarded condition.
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Dawson, flight engineer, was transported to Eglin Air Force Base hospital where he is listed in stable condition.
Tech. Sgt. Edilberto Malave, flight engineer, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola where he is listed in stable condition.
Slife said the Air Force has already begun a safety investigation and will conduct an accident investigation.
Upside down, not totally destroyed, and non-life threatening injuries. That's a rare combination. Can't imagine the circumstances that would lead to that.