A sequence of three serious air accidents caused the US Navy and Marine Corps to apply a pause in their flight operations this Monday (13). In about a week, six servicemen died.
On Saturday (11), the Commander of the Naval Air Forces ordered all units that were not deployed to take a safety break on Monday.
During grounding, the units will “review risk management practices and conduct training on threat and error management processes”, says the release of the Pacific Fleet Naval Air Force.
“To maintain the readiness of our force, we must ensure that the safety of our people remains one of our top priorities.”
The order is the result of three accidents that occurred in recent weeks, two of which were fatal.
The first took place on 03/06 with an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter. The fighter aircraft crashed in the Trona region of Southern California, killing the pilot.
Five days later, the fall of a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey killed all five soldiers who were on board. The tiltrotor aircraft was flying just north of the Mexican border in the Glamis region of California.
The next day, it was the turn of an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. The aircraft crashed near the Naval Air Station in El Centro, in the same state. The four crew survived, with one being taken to hospital with minor injuries.
