One Marine was killed and the other 21 people on board were hospitalized after an MV-22 Osprey aircraft made what the military describes as a "hard landing" at Hawaii's Bellows Air Force Station Sunday morning. Witnesses tell Hawaii News Now that they saw three Ospreys, which were involved in training exercises, performing rotation maneuvers, and after all three of them moved toward the ground, only two came back up. The aircraft was from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is based at California's Camp Pendleton, reports the AP.
"It's tragic and our condolences go out to the families and the loved ones of the victim. But right now we need to investigate further and see what happened," a Marine spokesman tells Hawaii News Now. "I can tell you that MV-22s have been a very reliable aircraft. We've provided aid and assistance in the Philippines. They're very reliable tilt-rotor aircrafts." The military, which did not provide details on the condition of the injured service members, says 21 Marines and one Navy corpsman were on board, the AP reports. (A Marine who ejected from an Osprey was the first US anti-ISIS casualty.)