The US Navy has recovered the majority of the Air Force CV-22 Osprey ariel vehicle that crashed off the coast of Japan in late November. Significantly, the aircraft's block box was recovered, according to the Air Force.
The salvaged wreckage will be delivered to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni where it, particularly the recorder, will aid in the military’s investigation into the crash.
“Critical equipment identified by investigation officials has been recovered, including the Voice and Data Recorder, often called the black box. The equipment will be transported to laboratories for data retrieval with follow analysis of the data at AFSOC,” the service detailed.
The Osprey is a tiltrotor military aircraft that can perform vertical takeoffs and landings like a helicopter but has a range in line with traditional turboprop planes. It crashed during a routine training mission, traveling from MCAS Iwakuni to Kadena Air Base.
Seven bodies of the eight-person crew have been recovered, the eighth remains missing but is presumed deceased.
According to Japanese media, the salvage was raised out of the ocean on December 27, but that date has not been confirmed by the US military. It was reportedly recovered using the USNS Salvor, a military Sealift Command rescue-and-salvage ship, which joined efforts by the Japanese government and civilian crews.
The analysis is expected to take several weeks