Captain Eleanor LeBeau, Major Tobin Lewis and Corporal Spencer Collart remembered by their families as ‘heroes’

The final actions of two Osprey pilots and crew chief saved the lives of all 20 people remaining on board. See how they are being remembered by their loved ones.

The final actions of three American Marines may have averted a catastrophic loss of life, with the Osprey crew heralded for sacrificing their own lives to save 20 others.

The families of Captain Eleanor LeBeau, Major Tobin Lewis and Corporal Spencer Collart have all remembered their loved ones as “heroes” following a horror aircraft disaster on Sunday.

The two pilots and chief crew of the MV-22 Osprey were killed after the tilt-rotor military aircraft crashed near Pickataramoor, on the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin, while transporting troops on the first day of Exercise Predators Run.

A fourth marine remains in a critical condition in a Melbourne hospital.

Illinois mother Victoria LeBeau was on the other side of the world as her 29-year-old daughter Eleanor, oneof the two Osprey pilots, sacrificed herself to save her comrades.

“We’re very proud of her, and by giving her life, she saved 20 other people,” Ms LeBeau told her hometown paper.

Captain Eleanor LeBeau was one of three US Marines killed in an Osprey crash on the Tiwi Islands, off the Northern Territory, on Sunday August 27.

“I want the world to know who my daughter was and what she did for this country.”

Ms LeBeau said her daughter was the next in her family’s military legacy, with several members including her father also serving in the American defence forces.

It was in flight school that Capt. LeBeau met fellow marine and future husband — Chase Cooke.

Captain Eleanor LeBeau with her husband and fellow Marine pilot Chase Cooke.

Friends have paid tribute to the “selfless, caring, badass individual”, remembering the young captain as a hard-working anddedicated pilot as well as a passionate horse rider.

Shade Tree Stables owner Deanna Preis said she had watched Capt. LeBeau “blossom into such a confident, happy, light-up-a-room woman” over many years.

“She was the full package. Gorgeous, inside and out, always a smile on her face, and a badass, top of her game pilot,” she said.

Captain Eleanor LeBeau was one of three US Marines killed in an Osprey crash on the Tiwi Islands, off the Northern Territory, on Sunday August 27.

Fellow Osprey pilot Major Tobin ‘Toby’ Lewis wasremembered by his family as a loving husband, father-of-three and an American hero who always dreamt of flying.

Major Tobin Lewis , 37, was one of three marines killed in an Osprey crash on the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, on Sunday August 27.

His friend Rachael Jones, who shared a birthday with her “twin”, said she would always treasure their memories together.

“Don’t forget I will always be three hours older, and somehow, so cruelly, I will live to tell that story without you,” she wrote.

Friend Ryan Reuscher said Major Lewis was a “great man, leader and pilot” who encouraged others to pursue their aviation ambitions.

That passion and drive extended to the soccer pitch, with the Allied Forces Soccer team farewelling the Colorado-born captain of the All-navy team, “a league leading scorer, fabulous player, and a fantastic person”.

Kathy Searle Lewis with her son 37-year-old Major Tobin Lewis who was one of three US Marines killed in an Osprey Crash in the Northern Territory on Sunday August 27.

The group posted that Major Lewis — known by his call sign Sméagol — should have been known as “Sméagoal with all the goals he made”.

The youngest killed in the crash, 21-year-old Corporal Collart, was remembered as a Virginia-born local who exemplified the spirit of the Marine Corps.

His father Bartley Collart said his son “died a hero, putting the lives of others before his own”.

As the crew chief aboard the Osprey, it is believed the young marine would have tried to secure the safety of everyone on-board while the aircraft failed.

Mr Collart told Stars and Stripes that his son — a lanky 6-foot-2 former high school lacrosse team defenseman — had dreamt of becoming a pilot ever since he was a teenager.

21-year-old Corporal Spencer Collart with his father Bartley Collart. The young Marine was one of three people killed in an Osprey crash in the Northern Territory on Sunday August 27.

He said Corporal. Collart enlisted to the Marine Corps in 2020, the day after he turned 18.

“He died doing what he loved and he died a hero,” his 19-year-old sister Gwyneth Collart said.

The loss of the young pilot has devastated his fellow marines, with friend John Maddox saying it “felt like somebody hit me with a truck and I was left motionless”.

“Toby exemplified what it meant to be a Marine and anyone who was fortunate enough to know him as such would understand: we lost one hell of a Marine.”

21-year-old Corporal Spencer Collart with his family. The young Marine was one of three people killed in an Osprey crash in the Northern Territory on Sunday August 27.

Due to the ongoing nature of the crash investigation, the Darwin Marine Rotational Force was unable to confirm the details of how the three marines saved their colleagues.

However, National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre executive director Len Notaras confirmed the horror crash “could have been much, much worse”, and the actions of the three deceased averted the loss of many more lives.

“I think that those that got the asset on the ground are probably well worthwhile commending even though they might have lost their lives,” he said.

A fellow marine Chet Rich Jr. also said the trio did “everything in their power” to land the Osprey in a way that those in the cabin would survive.

“These three saved 20 other Marines in my company when their Osprey went down,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Words cannot describe how grateful I am to see 19 of my brothers in person, walking and talking to me.

“Their sacrifice was not in vain.”