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Families of four Marines who died in Osprey helicopter crash sue makers Bell Textron, Boeing and Rolls-Royce claiming they made false statements about safety
The families of four marines who died in a Osprey helicopter crash in California in June 2022 are suing the manufacturers of the aircraft and its engine over negligence.
A MV-22B crashed in Imperial County near Highway 78 nearly two years ago during a training flight and killed five people.
Pilots Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31 and Capt. John J. Sax and crew chiefs Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, all died in the tragic incident.
Now, four families of the five Marines filed a federal lawsuit against Bell Textron, Boeing and Rolls-Royce in California on Thursday.
It claims the manufactures failed to make 'truthful statements to the government and to service members about the design, operation, and safety of V-22 Osprey aircraft'.
The families of four marines who died in a Osprey helicopter crash (scene pictured) in California in June 2022 are suing the manufacturers of the aircraft and its engine over negligence
Relatives of Sax, Rasmuson, Carlson and Strickland are taking legal action against the MV-22B manufacturers Bell Textron and Boeing as well as Rolls Royce, the maker of the engine.
The lawsuit claims that two systems failed in the aircraft which could result in a recurrent mechanical problem that could cause it to crash.
Amber Sax, who was married to Capt. Sax, said she filed the lawsuit to get answers for others who are at risk.
'Our military members deserve equipment and aircraft free of failures, especially failures that can cause the loss of their lives,' she said in a statement.
'I should have been growing old with my husband. Our two children shouldn’t be growing up without their father.'
Brett Strickland, whose son Lance Cpl. Strickland died in the crash, said: 'We have been trying to get answers and push to get the actual reason and cause for the crash and we don’t feel that they know why this is happening.
'We don’t want other families to get a knock on the door in the middle of the night.'
Pilots Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31 and Capt. John J. Sax died in the helicopter crash
Crew chiefs Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, died in the helicopter crash
Evan A. Strickland, 19, was one of five who died in the tragic crash nearly two years ago
The families of four of the Marines filed a federal lawsuit against Bell Textron, Boeing and Rolls-Royce in California on Thursday
Tim Loranger, who is representing the families in the lawsuit, said: 'For years Bell-Boeing and others have asserted that this aircraft and all of its systems are safe, yet the facts keep telling a different story.'
There were four fatal Osprey crashes between March 2022 and November 2023 which killed 20 service members.
It led to the US military grounding its entire fleet of around 400 V-22 Ospreys but this was lifted in March and there has been a gradual return to service.
The military believes it has identified and solved the issue with the clutch in the Osprey’s rotor gearbox that caused the California crash.
Investigators said the helicopter crashed due to a dual 'hard clutch engagement' which is when the 'clutch releases from the rotor system and suddenly reengages' and can cause an immediate drop.
It claims the manufactures failed to make 'truthful statements to the government and to service members about the design, operation, and safety of V-22 Osprey aircraft'
But the aircraft fell so fast, the pilots on board did not have time to say anything on the radio and the fire destroyed the black box.
The lawsuit pointed to the clutch issue and highlighted another alleged problem.
It claimed the helicopter has difficulty with its Interconnect Drive System which shifts power from one rotor engine to both rotors in case the other engine fails.
The legal filing states the system is 'defective and unreasonably dangerous'.
Attorney Loranger said: 'We are going to look at all of the relevant components individually and as a system to determine if there was a defect.
'Whether the problem lies with the ICDS or its integration with other components in the system remains to be seen.'
Four marines onboard a MV-22B Osprey participating in NATO exercise Cold Response were killed in March 2022 after it crashed in Norway.
In August 2023, three US marines were killed in another horror helicopter crash during military exercises in northern Australia.
The Boeing MV-22B Osprey, with 23 people on board, went down on Melville Island in the Tiwi Islands.
There was another fatal Osprey crash three months later in Japan which killed eight service members and led to the grounding of the aircrafts.
A Bell Textron spokesperson said it 'cannot comment on matters of litigation'.
DailyMail.com has contacted Boeing and Rolls Royce for comment.