Navy grounds aircraft after crashes in California - Los Angeles Times
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After multiple crashes in California, Navy grounds aircraft to ‘reemphasize safety’

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey.
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey, assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), near Yuma, Ariz., in 2021. A similar aircraft crashed Wednesday near Glamis, Calif.
(Lance Cpl. Larisa Chavez / Marine Corps)
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The Navy grounded its Air Forces Monday for a “safety pause” in the wake of multiple military aircraft crashes this month in California, two of which were fatal.

The first crash was reported June 3 near Trona in San Bernardino County and involved a F/A-18E Super Hornet. The pilot, Lt. Richard Bullock, was killed.

On June 8, an MV-22B Osprey from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing crashed in Imperial County near the Arizona border, killing all five Marines on board.

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The Marines were identified as Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Ill.; Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of New Durham, N.H.; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyo.; Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, Calif.; and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, N.M.

One of the five Marines killed in a training flight crash Wednesday was the son of former Los Angeles Dodgers player Steve Sax.

June 11, 2022

The next day, a Navy helicopter also crashed in Imperial County, injuring one person.

The pause affected all 171 of the Navy’s aviation units with currently deployed units allowed to institute the one-day pause when protocols and operations allow.

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The pause was instituted to “reemphasize” and “review” safety and risk mitigation protocols for flight crews, said Cmdr. Zach Harrell, a Naval Air Forces public affairs officer.

The pauses are instituted “whenever there is an unusual pattern [of incidents],” Harrell said.

The previous Navy stand-down occurred in October 2020, in the wake of two crashes, one of which was fatal.

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