US Air Force Finds Gearbox Failure, Pilot’s Decision Led to Deadly Osprey Crash in Japan

The fatal crash of a U.S. Osprey aircraft in Japan last year was caused by a “catastrophic failure” in the gearbox and the pilot’s decision to continue flying despite the malfunction, according to a U.S. Air Force report. The CV-22B Osprey crashed off the shore of Yakushima, Japan, during a training mission on Nov. 29, 2023, killing all eight airmen onboard. All Osprey aircraft were grounded for months after the incident. An investigative report by the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 1 stated that a failure of the left-hand prop rotor gearbox caused “a rapidly cascading failure of the [aircraft’s] drive system, resulting in an instantaneous asymmetric lift condition that was unrecoverable” by the crew....