3 Marines killed in plane crash during exercise

Three US Marines were killed and others injured after an Osprey plane crashed during military exercises in Australia, officials said on Sunday. Of the 23 Marines aboard the MV-22B Osprey aircraft, three died while five others were transferred to the Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition, Darwin said in a statement on Sunday. The incident on Melville Island in Australia happened at 9:30 a.m. local time. “The Marines aboard the aircraft were flying in support of the Exercise Predators Run. Efforts are underway,” the statement said, adding, “The cause of the incident is being investigated.” Earlier, Northern Territory Premier Natasha Fyles said some of the other Marines were being treated at the scene. “We’re working incredibly hard and as fast as we can to make sure we can get people in for treatment,” Fyles said. Two US Marine Osprey planes left Darwin on Sunday morning and headed for the Tiwi Islands, about 80 km away, said Michael Murphy, Australia’s Northern Territory Police Commissioner. One of the planes crashed on Melville Island, he added. The incident happened during exercise Predator’s Run 2023, a spokesman for Australia’s Ministry of Defense said. Numerous accidents involving Osprey military aircraft have been reported over the years. In 2022, five US Marines died after their MV-22B Osprey aircraft crashed near Glamis, California during a training mission. That same year, four US servicemen were killed when their Osprey crashed during NATO training exercises in Norway. Two accidents involving Osprey military aircraft occurred in 2017. On August 5, an MV-22B crashed off the coast of Australia, killing three US Marines. A month later, on September 28, a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crashed in Syria, injuring two soldiers. A history of crashes. Previous Osprey plane crashes, according to CNN reports and US Department of Defense press releases: July 20, 1992: Seven people are killed in testing when an Osprey crashes in Virginia. April 8, 2000: A crash during training in Arizona kills 19 Marines. The crash is attributed to pilot error, with investigators concluding that the pilot had attempted to land too quickly and at too steep an angle, resulting in a loss of lift. December 11, 2000: Four Marines are killed when an Osprey crashes in North Carolina. The accident was later traced to problems with a hydraulic part and a software anomaly in the aircraft’s computer system. April 8, 2010: US Air Force Osprey crashes in southern Afghanistan, killing three US servicemen and one civilian employee. April 11, 2012: Two US nationals are killed in an Osprey crash in Morocco. June 13, 2012: An Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashes during a routine training mission north of Navarra, Fla., injuring five people. May 17, 2015: A Marine Corps Osprey MV-22 crashes at Bellows Training Grounds on Oahu, Hawaii, killing two Marines. December 13, 2016: An MV-22B Osprey lands in shallow waters off Okinawa, Japan, injuring two. August 5, 2017: A MV-22B Osprey crashes off the coast of Australia, killing three Marines September 28, 2017: A Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey crashes in Syria, injuring two soldiers. March 18, 2022: Four US soldiers are killed when the MV-22 Osprey they are traveling in crashes NATO training exercises in Norway. June 8, 2022: Five US Marines die after an MV-22 Osprey crashed during a training mission Wednesday near Glamis, California.