The crash of a US Marine Corps (USMC) MV-22 Osprey left four servicemen dead last Friday (18). The accident occurred in northern Norway during a training mission as part of the Cold Response exercise 22.
The MV-22B belonged to the VMM-261 Raging Bulls squadron and was flying the callsign GHOST 31 during a mission over Nordland County. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces, the aircraft was on its way to Bodø air station when it disappeared from radar.
Despite adverse weather conditions, the Royal Norwegian Air Force dispatched a rescue helicopter and a P-3 Orion patrol plane to find the Marines' Osprey.
On Saturday morning, the Norwegian Armed Forces reported that the Nordland police confirmed the death of the four crew of the aircraft. However, the identity of the military was only revealed by the USMC on Sunday.
Died in the accident:
- Captain Matthew J. Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Captain Ross A. Reynolds of Leominster, Massachusetts.
- Gunnery Sergeant James W. Speedy of Cambridge, Ohio.
- Corporal Jacob M. Moore of Catlettsburg, Kentucky.
“The pilots and crew were committed to fulfilling their mission and serving a cause greater than themselves,” Major General Michael Cederholm, commanding general of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said in a letter to his Marines and their families.
According to the USMC, the military bodies will be taken to the US in the coming days.
“We will continue to execute the mission, keeping these Marines and their services at the forefront of our minds. We will never allow the sacrifice of these Marines to go unnoticed or unappreciated.”, said Cederholm. “Keep these Marines and their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
According to the portal The Aviationist, this is the Marine Corps' first MV-22 crash in five years.
In 2017, USMC Ospreys were involved in three major incidents in one year: on January 29, 2017, a Osprey crash-landed in Yemen during a special operations raid, leaving two wounded; on August 5, 2017, a MV-22 Ospreys assigned to Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, engaged in a accident on the east coast of australia, resulting in the deaths of three crew and 23 people rescued; on September 29, 2017, a USMC MV-22 Osprey crashed in Syria, injuring two soldiers.
