Can Marine Families Sue Over Imperial County Osprey Crash?

Need USMC Osprey Accident Help For a Military Aircraft Crash?

Military officials have confirmed that the military aircraft crash involved a tiltrotor aircraft under the command of the US Marines. (U.S. Marine Corps MV 22b Osprey) Four lives have been lost as a result of the aircraft crash, according to emergency responders at the crash site 150 miles east of the San Diego Marine Base, Camp Pendelton, on a routine live fire training flight near its gunner range.

The federal sources have also confirmed the same. Victims have little recourse; few exceptions allow surviving families to bring product liability lawsuits.

The Aircraft That Crashed

Federal sources have confirmed that the aircraft was a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s spokesperson, Cpl, shared the information. Sarah Marshall. She confirmed that the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing operated the particular aircraft.

Early Radio Calls and Social Media Posts were Alarming

Several reports and claims started coming in after the crash. The initial radio calls and social media messages were based on no facts claiming that the aircraft had nuclear material onboard.

However, Cpl. Sarah Marshall confirmed that all the claims made through these channels were made up and inaccurate. She confirmed that the aircraft had no nuclear materials.

Crash Details Shared by Cpl. Sarah Marshall

Marshall confirmed that it was somewhere close to Glamis Dunes where the aircraft crashed. She mentioned that the precise location of the crash was somewhere around Highway 78 and Coachella Canal Road.

Marshall confirmed that they received these details from the responders who responded to the emergency call. Gil Rebollar, the spokesperson for Imperial County, also authenticated the information.

Other attendants at the site included the Imperial County sheriff’s deputies and the local firefighters. The primary responders at the crash site were the Naval Air Facility El Centro.

The aircraft was hangared at Camp Pendleton’s Marine Aircraft Group 39. It belonged to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, its main headquarters located at Marine Corps Airstation, Miramar, in San Diego. Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing of the U.S. Marine Corps, offered kind words.

He stated:

“We mourn the loss of our Marines in this tragic mishap. . . Our hearts go out to their families and friends as they cope with this tragedy.”

Initial Information Shared by an Internal Source

Although the military was not disclosing any deaths that had occurred due to the crash, an internal source confirmed the number of personnel on the aircraft. The internal military source confirmed five personnel were on the aircraft when the crash occurred.

On the condition of keeping their identity anonymous, the source confirmed that four out of the five personnel had died due to the crash.

Duane Kampa’s Statement on the Crash

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s spokesperson, 1st Lt. Duane Kampa also provided more details of the crash. He confirmed that the crash had taken place at 12:25 pm. He later confirmed that there were indeed five Marines who were on the aircraft when it crashed.

However, he couldn’t confirm the status of the U.S. Marine Corps personnel. He added that the Marine Aircraft Group 39 was responsible for operating the aircraft. The aircraft was used for providing its services at the Air Station Camp for the U.S. Marine Corps in Camp Pendleton.

How Does the Osprey Aircraft Operate?

The U.S. military confirmed that the Osprey based at Camp Pendleton belongs to the aircraft category with a tiltrotor. With the help of the tiltrotor, the aircraft can land and take off. Simply put, the aircraft can fly and take off like a helicopter. The aircraft is able to do it once it has taken off and its rotors are pivoted.

The different U.S. military forces use particular aircraft. These forces include the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. Their main purpose is the transportation of equipment and troops. The advantage of the Osprey is its capacity and speed, which is much more than the active helicopters. Visitors to San Onofre and Trestles, CA, often see the Marine tiltrotor aircraft hovering off the Camp Pendleton coast and beaches along Southern California.

The Aircraft is Controversial

Despite being a high-speed transportation aircraft, it is full of controversies. The aircraft and many of its operations in the past have proven to be troubled. This isn’t the first time an Osprey aircraft has suffered a crash. A similar crash occurred in March of 2022 with an Osprey aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but could fly like an airplane.

The particular crash occurred in North Carolina, and the Marines also operated it. Another Osprey aircraft crashed in the same year and involved NATO personnel.

Suing Boeing For Wrongful Death?

Officials say that before this latest crash, Ospreys were involved in 46 deaths during training. (Source, Los Angeles Times.)  During a NATO exercise, four Marines were killed on March 18 in the Arctic Circle, close to a residential town in Norway. In 2017, three other Marines were killed after their MV-22b Osprey went down off Queensland, Australia.

Before that, in 2015, one Marine died, and 21 others suffered injuries on a training mission when their Marine Corps MV-22b Osprey erupted into flames after a “hard landing” near a Marine Corps air facility in Hawaii.

Personal injury lawyers have long-eyed manufacturers of military equipment to get money for families killed by defective parts, military gear with a poor warning, no warning labels, etc. The Osprey remains a joint project between Bell Helicopter Textron and the Boeing Corporation.

Its development path has been paved with the bodies of dead Marines in deadly crashes. According to many experts, there is evidence that the Marine Corps MV-22B is an unsafe airframe to fly, partly because dust and sand can be sucked into its enormous motors. When this happens, the engines can fail or erupt into flames, crashing.

Military.com reported a pending lawsuit and efforts to ground the Marine Corps and Air Force versions of the Osprey. Aviators and others say Bell V-280 Valor is safer and long overdue as a replacement. The father of decedent Lance Cpl. Matt Determan (Passed May 17, 2015, RIP) is seeking damages in court due to a low-visibility crash that took a young Marine’s life near the Marine Corps Air Station.