Damaged Marine aircraft leaves Greenville
The Daily Reflector
Sunday, February 10, 2008
An investigation was continuing Saturday into what caused part of a V-22 Osprey to fall off while the aircraft was flying over Pitt County early Friday night, a U.S. Marine Corps spokeswoman said.
The Osprey made an emergency landing at the Pitt-Greenville Airport, where it stayed overnight and much of Saturday. Maintenance crews from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station New River, where the aircraft is based, spent the day inspecting the aircraft, and it flew out early Saturday evening. It arrived back in New River shortly after 5:30 p.m., a Marine Corps spokeswoman said.
The aircraft was one of four flying from Quantico, Va., when a piece of exterior skin of the right engine intake assembly came off, forcing the unexpected landing, said Maj.Shawn Haney, a Marine Corp s public affairs officer.
The piece, described as three feet by four feet, landed in the Bell Arthur area.
It was initially reported the incident happened about 6:20 p.m. but Haney said Saturday the crew indicated the incident occurred at about 5:45 p.m.
Haney said Saturday that repair crews have not reported what caused the piece to fall off the craft.
"As they are repairing they will know what happened," she said.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Newport said Friday was not a particularly windy day — the forecast called for winds less than 10 mph — and there were no weather advisories. Skies were largely clear.
The Osprey takes off vertically like a helicopter and flies like a plane.
The craft, which has two large tilting propellers, flies faster and farther than helicopters, according to The Associated Press.
The Osprey program has a checkered background. The aircraft was grounded early in its development after two crashes that killed 23 service members, according to The Associated Press.
The first operational Osprey squadron in the military was created at New River and deployed to Iraq in September.
The investigation of the mishap will continue at New River, Haney said.
Link:
http://www.reflector.com/local/content/ ... =7&cxcat=9
First spy satellites, now aircraft parts falling from the sky? What is next, dare I ask? Glad no one was injured, though! Wonder what made it come off? Sounds like shotty sheet metal work. Someone forget how to rivet properly? I'll see if they release what caused it over the next few days.
Nope. Look it up on snopes.com, that's an engine undergoing routine maintenance. Those straps are usually there.