Four families of Marines killed in a 2022 V-22 Osprey training crash in California filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the companies that manufacture the controversial tilt-rotor aircraft, claiming that unaddressed flaws are responsible for the crash.
The Marines died on June 8, 2022, after their Marine Corps Osprey, call sign Swift 11, crashed due to a mechanical issue called a hard-clutch engagement. The lawsuit, shared with Military.com, points to well-publicized issues with the Osprey’s mechanics and names as defendants Bell Textron and Boeing, which design and manufacture the aircraft, and Rolls-Royce, which designs and manufactures the engines.
Military.com has reported on the circumstances of the Swift 11 incident; the ongoing mechanical issues with the V-22; and the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy’s response to recent deadly crashes. The lawsuit follows an Osprey crash in Japan in November that killed eight airmen and a subsequent stand-down that officially ended in March, though the aircraft still faces flight restrictions that keep it close to landing spots.
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“We want assurance that these components have been successfully redesigned, tested and rendered safe,” Amber Sax, the wife of Marine Corps Capt. John Sax, who was killed in the Swift 11 crash, said in an emailed statement. “The importance of addressing this cannot be overstated –…
