A Marine Corps Osprey carrying White House staff and officials was grounded for an emergency landing Monday due to a safety concern.
The V-22 Osprey, part of the Marine Corps HMX-1 presidential helicopter fleet, was traveling from a New York event to Staten Island to meet President Biden for a “Friendsgiving” event. The passengers were transferred to a second Osprey and completed their journey safely.
A journalist on board the first Osprey spotted a fire under the right engine before the unplanned landing. White House and Pentagon officials did not confirm what sparked the landing.
V-22 Ospreys, which are used by the Navy, Air Force and Marines, have been heavily scrutinized because they’ve had several deadly crashes.
An Associated Press investigation found Ospreys had been involved in 21 major accidents, the most recent of which occurred in November 2023 in Japan and killed eight service members.
That crash led the military to ground all Ospreys for three months while they were inspected. The aircraft have since returned to the skies.
But on Monday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, along with Rep. Richard Neal, wrote a letter to the Pentagon asking for the aircraft to be grounded again.
“The reality for pilots is that they have to push the aircraft to its limits to stay safe,” the lawmakers wrote.
However, military pilots told the AP they like the Osprey and want it to remain operational because of its unique capabilities.
With News Wire Services
