Three US Marines dead after aircraft crashes during NT military drills

Tragic details are emerging about a helicopter crash that killed three US Marines north of Darwin on Sunday.

Three US Marines have died and five others are in hospital with injuries after an Osprey aircraft crashed during war games on a remote island north of Darwin on Sunday, US military officials said.

Five Marines had been rescued from the crash site and flown to a hospital in Darwin in a “serious condition”, the US officials said, while Australian police said they were triaging the rest of the injured crew at the scene.

“There were a total of 23 personnel on board,” US military officials said in a statement.

“Three have been confirmed deceased while five others were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition.”

Rescue efforts were complicated by the location of the crash — the remote and sparsely populated Melville Island about 60km north of the Australian mainland.

“Recovery efforts are ongoing,” US officials said, adding that an investigation into the cause of the incident had been launched.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as “tragic” and “regrettable” but stressed that authorities were still trying to piece together what happened.

A Care Flight helicopter on the tarmac of Darwin International Airport to transport injured Marines to hospital. Picture: AFP

Five Marines were taken to hospital with injuries. Picture: Sky News

“We want to make sure that any information that is provided is absolutely accurate,” he told reporters.

RSL Australia President Greg Melick called the deaths a tragedy.

“This is a catastrophic event, and we express our sympathy to the friends, families, and colleagues of all those impacted,” he said.

The Osprey — a mix between a helicopter and a plane — was taking part in the Predators Run exercises, a joint series of warfighting drills involving thousands of soldiers from the US and Australia, as well as other militaries such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Northern Australia has become an increasingly important staging ground for the US military in recent years, as Washington and Canberra work together to counter China’s growing clout in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Osprey aircraft has a troubled history, blighted by a string of fatal crashes over the years.

Four US Marines were killed in Norway last year when their V-22B Osprey aircraft went down during NATO training exercises.

Three Marines were killed in 2017 when an Osprey crashed after clipping the back of a transport ship while trying to land at sea off Australia’s north coast.

US Marine being transported to Darwin Hospital after the crash.

This 2021 photo shows US Marines and an MV-22B Osprey at a landing zone at Tiwi Island.

And 19 Marines died in 2000 when their Osprey crashed during drills in Arizona. The US Army earlier this year temporarily grounded all pilots who were not involved in critical missions, forcing them to complete further training after a series of safety incidents.

Ospreys are rapidly quick tilt-rotor aircraft that combine the features of both helicopters and turboprop planes, according to the US Air Force.

The hybrid aircraft has two swivelling engines positioned on fixed wingtips that allow it to land and take off vertically, but also travel much faster than a conventional helicopter.

Sunday’s incident follows a fatal training crash last month, in which four Australians died when their Taipan helicopter plunged into the sea during a series of multinational war games in Queensland.

The Taipan had been taking part in the large-scale Talisman Sabre exercise, which brought together 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the United States and several other nations.

It crashed near the Whitsunday Islands while taking part in a night-time operation.