Crash USMC Osprey

On 8 June 2022, a United States Marine Corps (USMC) MV-22B Osprey, carrying five Marines, crashed at around 12:15 hrs LT in the southern California desert near Glamis. Unfortunately all crew member were killed in the accident.

The Osprey, belonging to the Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39 and based at Camp Pendleton MCB, is a regular participant in exercises in this desert area northeast of Naval Air Facility El Centro (CA) and northwest of Yuma Marine Corps Air Station (AZ).

According to the latest information, one of the crew members was an air crew chief with VMM-364 Purple Foxes.

Camp Pendleton MCB is the home base of MAG-39. This unit controls two Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadrons (VMM) operating the MV-22B and five Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadrons (HMLA) of which on training unit, operating the Bell UH-1Y Venom and the Bell AH-1Z Viper. The two VMM squadrons are VMM-164 Knightriders ('YT-xx') and VMM-364 Purple Foxes ('PF-xx').

The mishap is the second serious one involving a USMC MV-22B this year. On 18 March 2022, an MV-22B of VMM-261 Raging Bulls ('EM-xx') crashed in Norway during a training exercise that killed four Marines.

Photo (just illustrative) by Manolito Jaarsma (Scramble Archive)