A USMC Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey crashed during the Exercise Predator's Run 2023 at Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, about 60km north of Darwin, Northern Territory.
There were 23 POB. Three US marines died and five have been transported by CareFlight to the Royal Darwin Hospital in serious condition, one of them critical, and the other marines were treated at the site of the crash.
Multiple investigations are underway following the crash on Melville Island, north of Darwin, on Sunday. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the crash had triggered "a number of investigations".
"That process is already underway," he told ABC Radio Darwin.
"We will work closely with the US around the jurisdictional basis and the interaction of those investigations".
A St John Ambulance spokesperson said the service had helped CareFlight and the Australian Defence Force move 20 patients from various locations in Darwin to the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) on Sunday. They said seven patients had been transported to RDH in St John vehicles, with one in a critical condition and six in a serious condition.
Marles said out of the five marines who remain in hospital, one was in a critical condition. He said local services were on the scene of the crash near Pickertaramoor, two kilometer's inland on Melville Island, "almost immediately".
"I think that's played a really important part in making sure we've had as many people survive as possible from this crash," he said. "Twenty-three people were on board and 20 people have survived the crash, which is remarkable."
He said the US government would be responsible for publicly identifying the marines who had died.
"We now will work closely with the US government around repatriation of their remains," he said.
Osprey a 'unique' aircraft
This is the tenth fatal crash involving a Marine Osprey since 1992, resulting in a total of 53 deaths.
"That process is already underway," he told ABC Radio Darwin.
"We will work closely with the US around the jurisdictional basis and the interaction of those investigations".
A St John Ambulance spokesperson said the service had helped CareFlight and the Australian Defence Force move 20 patients from various locations in Darwin to the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) on Sunday. They said seven patients had been transported to RDH in St John vehicles, with one in a critical condition and six in a serious condition.
Marles said out of the five marines who remain in hospital, one was in a critical condition. He said local services were on the scene of the crash near Pickertaramoor, two kilometer's inland on Melville Island, "almost immediately".
"I think that's played a really important part in making sure we've had as many people survive as possible from this crash," he said. "Twenty-three people were on board and 20 people have survived the crash, which is remarkable."
He said the US government would be responsible for publicly identifying the marines who had died.
"We now will work closely with the US government around repatriation of their remains," he said.
Osprey a 'unique' aircraft
This is the tenth fatal crash involving a Marine Osprey since 1992, resulting in a total of 53 deaths.
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| IMAGE TAKEN FROM ABC NEWS |
However, Marles refused to say that Australian defence personnel would be prevented from boarding the aircraft while the investigation is underway.
"The Ospreys have remarkable capability," he said.
"We routinely work with the US with the Osprey.
"We need to let this investigation play out to understand exactly what has happened here."
Keith Tonkin, who served 15 years in the Royal Australian Air Force, followed by nearly a decade of experience in international and domestic airline operations, said the Osprey was a very specific aircraft type.
"This aircraft can take off vertically and fly relatively fast and carry more than a helicopter can carry on that sort of mission," he told News Breakfast.
"It was designed for a very specific task and that was to fly to places where we don't have a prepared runway or helicopter landing site.
"Even if it's an open area, it can land and take off and carry quite a few people and because of that, we have a higher number of fatalities if the aircraft is fully loaded.
"We can only imagine that something horrible happened to cause that, knowing that the people operating the aircraft [are] highly skilled and experienced."
Military analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel, Cedric Leighton, said the investigation would consider mechanical and maintenance issues with the aircraft.
"There have been accidents throughout its history. And of course, its unique characteristics, which are kind of a cross between a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft, make it perhaps more vulnerable to mechanical issues than other aircraft," he said.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILES AND FRIENDS AND WE WISH THE ONES IN HOSPITAL A SPEEDY RECOVERY.
"The Ospreys have remarkable capability," he said.
"We routinely work with the US with the Osprey.
"We need to let this investigation play out to understand exactly what has happened here."
Keith Tonkin, who served 15 years in the Royal Australian Air Force, followed by nearly a decade of experience in international and domestic airline operations, said the Osprey was a very specific aircraft type.
"This aircraft can take off vertically and fly relatively fast and carry more than a helicopter can carry on that sort of mission," he told News Breakfast.
"It was designed for a very specific task and that was to fly to places where we don't have a prepared runway or helicopter landing site.
"Even if it's an open area, it can land and take off and carry quite a few people and because of that, we have a higher number of fatalities if the aircraft is fully loaded.
"We can only imagine that something horrible happened to cause that, knowing that the people operating the aircraft [are] highly skilled and experienced."
Military analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel, Cedric Leighton, said the investigation would consider mechanical and maintenance issues with the aircraft.
"There have been accidents throughout its history. And of course, its unique characteristics, which are kind of a cross between a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft, make it perhaps more vulnerable to mechanical issues than other aircraft," he said.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILES AND FRIENDS AND WE WISH THE ONES IN HOSPITAL A SPEEDY RECOVERY.
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