Military aircraft crash kills three Marines, hospitalizes eight

Eight U.S. Marines remained hospitalized Monday after a fiery crash that killed three others Sunday morning. The crash occurred during a multinational training exercise, when a Marine V-22 Osprey carrying 23 Marines crashed into Melville Island, about 50 miles north of Darwin, Australia. All 20 survivors were flown to the Royal Darwin Hospital within hours of the crash. Twelve of the Marines had been released from the hospital by Monday morning.

How common are V-22 Osprey crashes? Before Sunday, there had been five fatal crashes since 2012 involving Ospreys, causing 16 deaths. Ospreys are twin-propeller aircraft. The most recent fatal crash last year in California was attributed to a mechanical failure related to the clutch. The cause of Sunday’s crash is yet to be determined, but investigators will remain at the site for at least 10 days, said Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles.

Dig deeper: Read Todd Vician’s article in WORLD Magazine about the scramble to meet recruiting goals amid flagging interest in military service.