© Reuters. File photo: A U.S. Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey helicopter lands on the USS Mesa Verde ship during the Northern Coasts 2023 exercise in the Baltic Sea, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Janis Laizans/File photo
(Reuters) -The United States said on Wednesday it was grounding its military fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after a fatal crash last week off the coast of Japan that killed eight people onboard.
“Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time,” U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said in a statement.
Eight American service members were aboard the tilt-rotor aircraft when it crashed during a routine training mission last week off Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km (650 miles) southwest of the capital, Tokyo.
After the crash, the U.S. military unit that the V-22 Osprey aircraft belonged to suspended flight operations. But the U.S. military had said other aircraft would continue to fly after undergoing safety checks.
Tokyo has voiced concern about Osprey flights. The deployment of the aircraft in Japan has been controversial, with critics of the U.S. military presence in the country’s southwest islands saying it is prone to accidents.
“The standdown will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force CV-22 fleet returns to flight operations,” AFSOC said.
