Families of Marines killed in 2022 Osprey crash sue aircraft manufacturers Boeing, Bell, Rolls Royce

By TARA COPP
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Families of four of the five Marines killed when their Osprey crashed in California in June of 2022 have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the aircraft’s manufacturers failed to address known mechanical failures that led to the deaths. The crew was killed when their Osprey experienced a mechanical failure known as hard-clutch engagement, a known problem with the tilt-rotor aircraft that has happened more than a dozen times since 2010. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the families named Bell Textron, The Boeing Co. and Rolls Royce. Bell assembles the Osprey in a partnership with Boeing in its facilities in Amarillo, Texas; Rolls Royce produces the Osprey’s engines.