Pilot Error Blamed For Fatal Osprey Crash

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Credit: USMC

Above: MV-22 Osprey

A deadly Osprey crash in Morocco that killed two Marines was caused by pilot error, according to an investigation by AOL Defense.

Killed in the April 11 crash were crew chiefs Cpl. Robby A. Reyes, 25, of Rancho Cucamonga, California and Cpl. Derek A. Kerns, 21, of Fort Dix, New Jersey.

The two pilots of the MV-22 Osprey were seriously injured in the accident but survived, according to the Defense Department. Their names have not been released.

All four Marines were based at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina.

An unnamed government source who has knowledge of the military's investigation of the crash, which is still under review by the Marines, told AOL Defense:

"This wasn't a tiltrotor accident; it was bad flying."

An Osprey pilot who wasn't named also told AOL Defense:

"Unfortunately they put the aircraft in a position beyond the (flight manual) limits that are advertised and that are trained to, and they made an error."

The official stance of the Department of Defense, according to a June 29 press release, is that mechanical failure of the Osprey was not a factor in the crash.