All three branches of the US military fly the V-22 Osprey aircraft, but they’re not all back in the air yet after a safety grounding in March. The Navy and Marines have cleared their Ospreys to fly again, but the Air Force is taking a more cautious approach.
Back in November, an Air Force Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan, killing eight service members. Investigators think a material failure may have been to blame, but they haven’t figured out the exact cause yet.
In March, all V-22 flights were grounded while safety measures were reviewed. The Navy and Marines then cleared their Ospreys to fly again in March. They’ve been busy getting their pilots retrained and aircraft inspected. The Marines have even deployed some Ospreys to Australia.
The Air Force, however, is taking things slow. They’re checking each Osprey individually before allowing it to fly again. Air Force officials say their Ospreys fly in tougher conditions than the Navy and Marines’ Ospreys, so they need a more thorough review. This means it could be a while before Air Force Ospreys are back in the sky.