1 Marine killed, others hurt when Osprey aircraft goes down in Hawaii

One Marine was killed and others injured Sunday in what the Marine Corps called the “hard landing” of an aircraft in Hawaii.

There were 22 Marines from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County aboard the MV-22 Osprey during a training exercise at the Marine portion of Bellows Air Force Base in Waimanalo, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, officials said. The Marines use the area for amphibious assault, maneuver and non-live fire exercises.

The 21 surviving Marines were taken to hospitals "for assessment and treatment," according to the Marine Corps.

Photos and video posted on social media showed flames and deep black smoke emanating from what was described as the site.

Cause of the incident and the extent of the injuries are unclear, the Marine Corps said.

The affected Marines are part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit that left San Diego last week aboard three ships: the assault ship Essex, dock landing ship Rushmore and transport dock ship Anchorage.

The 4,500 sailors and Marines of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group were assigned to a training exercise in Hawaii and then to a routine deployment in the Western Pacific and beyond for seven months.

The Osprey can hover like a helicopter and cruise like a fixed-wing aircraft. It can take off and land vertically and has short takeoff and landing capability.

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UPDATES

6:56 p.m.: This post has been updated to add background information.

6:08 p.m.: This post has been updated to add that one Marine died and the rest were taken to hospitals.

The first version of this post was published at 5:44 p.m.