Aviation Week reports, “The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has grounded its fleet of Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys following a hard landing incident. The Japan Defense Ministry Joint Staff says the incident took place on the country’s Yonaguni Island on Oct. 27. The V-22 was participating in Exercise Keen Sword, a joint wargame with the U.S. military, where it was transporting military personnel simulating a medical evacuation.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: Grounds
US Naval Air Systems Command Grounds V-22 Ospreys After New Incident
Aerotime reports, “The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has issued an operational pause for all Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft flights across the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force as of December 6, 2024. The decision, first reported by AP, follows a precautionary landing of a US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) CV-22 Osprey on November 20, 2024, at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, likely due to a material failure.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
USAF Grounds KC-135 to Investigate Faulty Tail Assembly Part
Aviation Week reports that the US Air Force “has temporarily grounded its workhorse Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker fleet, along with reconnaissance variants of the airframe, until they can be inspected for a nonconforming part in the tail assembly.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
USAF Grounds Most of its Older C-130H Hercules Cargo Planes, Variants
Defense News reported that the US Air Force has “grounded most of its older C-130H Hercules cargo planes and variants due to a problem with their propeller barrels.” The unofficial Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco “posted a screenshot of a slide that said the propeller barrels in question had been installed in 100 C-130Hs, as well as the entire inventories of eight MC-130H Combat Talons, seven EC-130H Compass Calls, and one TC-130H.” In a statement to Defense News, Air Mobility Command (AMC) “said a maintenance crew at Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Georgia found a persistent leak coming from a C-130H propeller while test running the plane’s engine after it had undergone depot maintenance. That propeller assembly was removed and sent to the complex’s propeller shop, AMC said, where a technician found a crack in its barrel assembly.” AMC added that “further inspections found two more propeller assemblies had the same problem.”
Full Story (Defense News)
Air Force Special Operations Command Grounding Fleet of Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft
The Hill reports the US Air Force Special Operations Command “has grounded its entire fleet of CV-22 Ospreys due to two recent safety incidents involving the aircraft’s clutch.” The decision “stems from an ‘increased number of safety incidents’ involving the Ospreys, including two in the past six weeks and a total of four since 2017.” The decision to ground the aircraft “follows two accidents that killed nine Marines earlier this year involving the Marine Corps’ MV-22B version of the aircraft.”
Full Story (The Hill)