The Osprey was engulfed in smoke and fire when Cpl. Spencer Collart, the aircraft’s crew chief, rushed back into the burning wreckage in an attempt to save the two Marine pilots trapped inside.
Before it crashed, the fuel-heavy aircraft nearly collided with the other Osprey it was trailing, causing it to bank three times before descending nose-down toward the trees on Melville Island, a spit north of mainland Australia, a recently released investigation revealed. The trees sheared off the Osprey’s tail as it descended, and Maj. Tobin Lewis, one of the pilots, gripped the controls with both hands in an attempt to level the aircraft and slow its speed.
Collart was situated in the tunnel of the aircraft, behind the two pilots, the other being Capt. Eleanor LeBeau. Witnesses described the Osprey skimming along the trees for “a couple of long seconds” before hitting the ground, skidding and kicking up a “wave” of dirt.
Read Next: Soldiers Hit with More Problems Accessing Education Benefits Amid Fall Enrollment Deadlines
As the crew chief, Collart was responsible for the safety and readiness of the 22 other Marines on the Osprey, including the pilots. When it crashed, he tried heroically to fulfill that duty. Driven by knowing it was the right thing to do, his father said, Collart rushed back into the burning aircraft to try and rescue the pilots, at the cost of his own life.
Despite his efforts, LeBeau and Lewis perished in the…
