A Marine is dead following the hard landing of a MV-22 Osprey in Hawaii, the service annouced on Sunday.
Twenty-one other Marines in the aircraft were transported to area hospitals for assessments.The incident occurred during a training exercise at Marine Corps Training Area – Bellows at 11:40 a.m. Hawaii time.
“The Marines were conducting routine sustainment training at the time,” read the statement.
The dead Marine was part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) from Camp Pendleton, Calif. deployed with the three-ship Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG/MEU) that departed from Naval Station San Diego, Calif. earlier this month for a planned seven-month Middle East and Western Pacific deployment.
The Essex ARG is comprised of big deck amphib USS Essex (LHD-2), dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD-47) and landing transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD-23).
Video just into our newsroom of a downed helicopter at Bellows. Courtesy M. Raquinio @KITV4 pic.twitter.com/y1WvpQEFCX
— Ashley Moser KITV (@AshleyMoser) May 17, 2015
The ARG/MEU was scheduled to participate this week in the Culebra Koa 2015 amphibious exercise — a major test of the Navy and Marine Corps seabasing capabilities.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
Six other Pendleton Marines died last week following the crash of their UH-1Y Huey during disaster relief operations in Nepal.
The following is the May 17, 2015 statement from the Marine Corps.
USS ESSEX — One Marine was killed when an MV-22 Osprey from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit experienced a hard-landing mishap while conducting training aboard Marine Corps Training Area – Bellows at approximately 11:40 a.m., Hawaii time.
Twenty-two Marines were aboard at the time, and all other 21 have been transported to local hospitals for assessment and treatment.
The Marines were conducting routine sustainment training at the time. The 15th MEU departed San Diego May 10 on a seven-month deployment to the Pacific Command and Central Command areas of operation.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
