The
CV-22 Osprey will take over Air Force Special Operations Command
helicopter missions when the MH-53 ‘Pave Low’ (seen below) retires in
October 2011. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julianne Showalter
A
Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey forced to make an emergency landing on 9
July is fueling a resurgence of Japanese concern regarding the safety of
the world’s first production tiltrotor combat aircraft. Marine Corps
officials announced that an MV-22B assigned to Marine Corps Air Station
(MCAS) New River, North Carolina made a controlled emergency landing at
North Carolina’s Wilmington International Airport for reasons not yet
addressed.Marine Corps representatives declared that the pilot
and crew had total control of the aircraft throughout the landing and
there were no injuries. Several local media sources indicated that the
emergency was caused by a driveshaft problem, but the Marine Corps has
so far declined to speculate as to the cause of the emergency. Japanese
news sources also announced that the emergency landing was related to a
driveshaft problem.
Pentagon
Press Secretary George Little announced on 11 July that the North
Carolina incident would not change the scheduled deployment of the
Ospreys to MCAS Futenma. Secretary Little told reporters that the
landing was only a “precautionary step during a routine training
flight.” Mr. Little also told reporters that the cause of the landing
was being investigated and that the United States would continue to
“work closely with our Japanese allies to provide information on the
MV-22,” an aircraft he further described as having “a very strong safety
record overall.”
Read More............
No comments:
Post a Comment