US Marine Corps Osprey crashes in North Carolina forest

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey caught fire and made an emergency landing in the Bladen Lakes State Forest in North Carolina during a training mission on October 8. The aircraft, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, was operating as part of a flight near a former North Carolina Forest Service airstrip when the mishap occurred at approximately 10:20 a.m. EDT.

Four Marines were aboard the aircraft at the time of the incident. One Marine was transported to a burn center for treatment, while the other three crewmembers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters encountered difficulties accessing the crash site due to its location in a wooded area, requiring the use of dirt roads and additional equipment, such as a dump tank, to establish a water supply. The Osprey was carrying approximately 6,000 pounds of highly volatile jet fuel when the blaze broke out. Officials from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune have been deployed to assist with the investigation into the cause of the fire and subsequent hard landing.