A federal watchdog agency will examine the circumstances behind V-22 Osprey crashes and mishaps, a little more than a month after one of the aircraft plunged into the sea off the coast of Japan and claimed the lives of eight airmen.
The Government Accountability Office agreed to look into the incidents following a request last month by Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Mike Waltz, R-Fla. The lawmakers asked the agency “to conduct a review on the cause of the accidents that have resulted in several deaths involving the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (V-22) during military operations and training exercises.”
A Dec. 19 response from the GAO that was shared with Military.com on Wednesday confirmed the probe. The safety of the Osprey has been called into question following a spate of recent crashes, including the most deadly CV-22 mishap in the Air Force‘s history, and a long-running mechanical issue related to its clutch.
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“GAO accepts your request as work that is within the scope of its authority,” A. Nicole Clowers, the GAO’s managing director of congressional relations, said in a response letter. “We anticipate that staff with the required skills will be available shortly to initiate an engagement.”
The probe triggered by the letter from Garamendi and Waltz is one of two inquiries into the V-22 since the Nov. 29 crash in Japan….
