Crew Rescued After Marine Osprey Goes Down Off Okinawa

The Marine Corps crew of an MV-22 Osprey is being treated for injuries after the aircraft went down off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Marine officials in the Pacific said Tuesday.

The five crew members were rescued after the aircraft landed "in shallow water" off the coastline of Camp Schwab around 10 p.m. local time, according to a statement from III Marine Expeditionary Force.

The Marines, from Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, were airlifted in an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter flown by members of the 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base to a naval hospital at Camp Foster, where they received medical treatment.

The Corps is investigating the mishap.

Officials with III MEF initially posted a pair of tweets about the crash. The first confirmed that an Osprey mishap had occurred; the second reported that all crew members of the downed aircraft had been transported to the naval hospital.

This is the second time in a week that a Marine Corps aircraft has crashed near Japan.

On Dec. 7, a Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet jet went down about 120 miles off Iwakuni. The pilot, Capt. James Frederick, ejected from the aircraft but did not survive the crash.