US Osprey located following crash off central Queensland

A US MARINE continues to fighting for his life in a Brisbane hospital, as the Navy locates a military aircraft that crashed into the ocean off central Queensland on the weekend.

Lt Benjamin Robert Cross and Cpl Nathan Ordway were killed in the Osprey crash.

A US Marine is fighting for his life as details emerge of three others killed when their aircraft crashed and sank in the ocean during a training exercise off the Queensland coast.

Royal Australian Navy divers face the grisly task of recovering the bodies of the three Marines believed trapped 50m down in the submerged wreckage, about 30km off Shoalwater Bay, north of Rockhampton.

Defence Minister Marise Payne last night confirmed HMAS Melville had located the wreckage of the ill-fated Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

Pilot Lt Benjamin Robert Cross, 26, of Maine, Corporal Nathan Ordway, of Kansas, and another marine died after the aircraft crashed into the flight deck of the USS Green Bay transport ship and slid into the ocean about 4pm Sunday.

Crew in small boats and aircraft rescued 23 of the 26 on-board before the controversial Osprey aircraft, dubbed a “death trap” and “widow-maker” after a history of accidents, sank to the sea floor.

US Marine officials were last night waiting on a condition update for a 36-year-old aviator injured in the crash who was flown to Rockhampton Hospital, and transferred to a Brisbane hospital where he was listed a “critical”.

Yesterday the grieving brother of 1st Lt Cross told CBS: “The world needs to know that we still have heroes.’’

Ryan Cross said the lost aviator was “devoted” to the Marine Corps and it was his dream to be a pilot in the military.

“He was so smart and just a great guy,’’ Mr Cross said.

“(He had) the highest moral character – just the most caring, compassionate, empathetic individual I’ve ever met.

“He would do anything for anybody that needed it, so selfless.’’

Friends and relatives of Corporal Ordway, a crew chief, posted on social media he was among those missing and asked for others “to pray” for him.

“Nathan Ordway is one of the missing Marines from the Osprey Helicopter crash off the Australian coast Saturday & there is still no news about him,’’ posted family friend Heidi Peltzer.

“Please pray for his life, his safety, and comfort for the family.’’

Lt. Benjamin Robert Cross has been named as one of the three Marines who were killed when an Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Queensland. Image: Facebook

US Marine Corps officials, from the Okinawa base in Japan, told The Courier-Mail a “thorough investigation” into the cause of the incident, described as a “mishap”, had been launched.

“Salvage and recovery efforts are being led by the hydrographic survey ship HMAS Melville, which will embark a Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diving team,’’ said Major Eve Baker.

“This team has the capability to assess and recover personnel if found submerged with the wreckage.”

It is the 10th known crash involving the Osprey – a tilt-rotor aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane – since 1991.

“The Marine Corps rigorously investigates all aviation mishaps to identify the causes, learn from them, and rectify the problems that occurred,’’ Major Baker said.

“We cannot release any details from the investigation until it is complete.”

A RAAF C-130 and C17A Globemaster aircraft landed at Rockhampton airport yesterday to deliver divers and equipment for the salvage operation, which authorities warn could take months to complete.

In Rockhampton, US Navy Petty Officer Second Class Cleveland Morris told The Courier-Mail the training mishap was “devastating” for everyone in the military.

“We feel for those guys and their families and we just hope for the best in the end,’’ he said.

The US flag flew at half mast at the local council chambers as a mark of respect.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland had offered any support the US military needed in the aftermath of “an absolute tragedy”.

Additional reporting Michael Wray