V-22 Crash
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V-22 Crash
Marine Corps aircraft crashes in Arizona, killing 19
Emergency crews work at the scene of Saturday's crash of a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey. The accident happened as the aircraft attempted to land at Marana Regional Airport
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.
Osprey in 'testing and evaluation'
A Marine Corps spokesman said there were 15 passengers and four crew aboard the aircraft when it crashed at about 9 p.m.
The aircraft took off from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, about 240 miles from the crash site.
The Osprey is in "testing and evaluation", according to the spokesman. It has rotors like a helicopter as well as wings. The aircraft crashed as it attempted to land at the Marana Regional Airport. The crash happened on airport property, but not on a landing area.
Marana Police spokesman Bill Derfus said military investigators were in charge of the crash site. "The military has full control of the airport, and the accident scene," he said. Marana is about 25 miles northwest of Tucson.
No weapons aboard
Marine Col. William D. Catto said there were no weapons on board the aircraft.
Marine Col. William D. Catto briefs news crews near the crash site
The Osprey is a revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft, also known as a convertiplane, that flies like a plane but can land and take off like a helicopter. Its two propjet turbines power two oversize propellers.
Military planners see the aircraft as a means of getting more U.S. troops and pilots safely out of danger zones and enhancing drug interdiction, humanitarian and civilian rescue capabilities.
It flies at twice the speed, has twice the range and carries twice the payload of the Vietnam-era CH-46 helicopters it will replace in the Marine Corps' inventory.
Osprey can carry up to 24 troops
Jointly produced by Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, and Boeing Co., in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, the aircraft can achieve speeds over 400 mph and an altitude of 25,000 feet.
It is designed to carry up to 24 troops or external loads of 15,000 pounds.
Boeing spokeswoman Susan Bradley said late Saturday night that it was not yet clear whether the company would join the investigation.
Clinton pays tribute to crash victims
Early in its development, safety concerns plagued the innovative aircraft, but builders say modifications from the original design have made it lighter and safer.
President Clinton issued a statement on the crash early Sunday morning.
"This terrible loss of life is a reminder of how so many men and women in the nation's military put their lives at risk, each and every day, so that we might be a free people, and the cause of peace can be advances throughout the world," he said.
