U.S. military grounds V-22 Osprey aircraft after Japan crash

The United States said on Wednesday it was grounding its military fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after a fatal crash last week off the coast of Japan that killed eight people onboard.
“Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time,” U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command said in a statement.
The tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Boeing and Bell Helicopters crashed during a routine training mission last week off Yakushima Island, about 1,040 km southwest of the capital, Tokyo.
At least 400 of the transport aircraft have been delivered and are mainly used by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy, according to Boeing. Japan’s Self-Defence Forces also has a small fleet of Ospreys.
Japan grounded its V-22s immediately after the crash. The U.S. initially said it was suspending Osprey flights from the unit that the doomed aircraft belonged to, but said other aircraft would continue to fly after safety checks.