Maintenance Eyed in V-22 Probe

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InsideDefense.com NewsStand | Christopher J. Castelli | April 03, 2006


Naval officials looking into last week's MV-22 Osprey mishap are considering whether recent maintenance work done on the aircraft may have somehow contributed to the incident, according to a Marine Corps general and Pentagon sources.

The cause of the mishap remains undetermined, but the aircraft suffered “major damage to its wing and right engine” March 27 at New River, NC, according to a statement issued by the service after the incident. The aircraft damage “resulted from an inadvertent takeoff followed by a hard landing” on the base's flight line during a post-maintenance functional check flight, according to the statement.

“There was some sort of malfunction, engine malfunction and the result was damage -- severe damage to the wing and the engine cell,” Lt. Gen. Emerson Gardner, deputy commandant for programs and resources, told the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee at a hearing March 29.

“Of course the investigation is focused on the maintenance activities that took place that led to the requirement to do the functional check as well as the actions of the crew, which we always do in this case,” Gardner added.

Naval officials are also reviewing a particular incident in 2005 that is somewhat similar to the March 27 mishap, a service official told Inside the Navy . The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did know the specifics.

The Pentagon approved plans to buy the Osprey in large numbers for the Marine Corps last year. This was a major milestone for the program, which was restructured after two fatal mishaps in 2000. The program has since had less serious mishaps, but no fatalities.

Maj. Shawn Haney, a spokeswoman for the 2nd Marine Air Wing at Cherry Point, NC, said the aircraft involved in the March 27 incident had undergone an “engine change” prior to the mishap. That does not necessarily mean an engine was replaced, but rather could mean an engine was removed for maintenance work and then reinstalled, according to Haney. She did not have further details on the maintenance work or the engine malfunction that occurred during the mishap.

A Pentagon source said the maintenance work might have led to unintentional problems, such as a wiring error. Pentagon and service sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Inside the Navy the inadvertent takeoff happened when the pilot switched modes for the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) from automatic to manual. This switch, one of many planned steps during the ground portion of the check flight, should not have caused the Osprey to take flight. But the MV-22 suddenly rose about 30 feet in the air, Haney said. No one was hurt. Three people were aboard the aircraft at the time.

It is unclear whether the FADEC then reduced power, causing the aircraft to lower to the ground, or whether the pilot did that, the Pentagon source said.

Experts are considering whether a near-term software change should be made to address the issue of switching between FADEC modes, said a service official.

The incident has been labeled a class A mishap, which is the most serious and expensive kind. By definition, any mishap costing more than $1 million is in this category.

The Osprey damaged in the incident belongs to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204. Haney declined to provide the identifying numbers for that particular aircraft.

The V-22's wings are designed to separate from the fuselage in certain crash situations for safety reasons. Some sources suggested a wing broke off in last week's mishap, but Haney would not say whether this occurred.

Following the mishap, the squadron ceased flying Ospreys for several days. Haney said flights resumed March 30.

The Marine Corps is investigating the incident. There will be two investigations -- one led by a mishap board at the squadron level and another by the judge advocate general at the Marine air group level.

Though no causes have been publicly identified, Navy acquisition executive Delores Etter downplayed the incident March 31 following an appearance on Capitol Hill.

Asked whether the mishap raises concerns about the program or whether the incident was a one-time fluke, Etter said, “Well that incident is under investigation so I couldn't speak to that, but the initial indication is that this is not something that is going to be a serious issue. So we're still feeling very confident about the MV-22.”

Navy V-22 spokesman James Darcy said the program office dispatched engineers to New River to support the mishap investigation and the fleet support team. But he declined to comment on the mishap.

Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing build the Osprey mainly for the Marine Corps, but also for the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command. Bell spokesman Bob Leder had no comment on the mishap and referred questions to the Marine Corps.