By Colin McCullough | CNN
Wreckage and remains from a United States Air Force CV-22B Osprey that crashed off the coast of Yakushima Island, Japan, last week were discovered on Monday, according to a statement from Air Force Special Operations Command.
“During a combined U.S.-Japanese search and rescue dive in the vicinity of Yakushima, Japan on Dec. 4, 2023, remains were discovered along with wreckage from the CV-22 mishap that occurred on Nov. 29, 2023,” a statement from AFSOC said.
The identities have yet to be determined at this time, according to the statement.
The AFSOC said their main priority is “bringing the Airmen home and taking care of their family members.”
The remains of one airman aboard, 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Jacob M. Galliher of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, were recovered last week. The remains of five other airmen aboard were found, AFSOC said Monday. The identities of the five crew members have not yet been determined.
Two of the five crew members have been recovered from the crash, and there is an “ongoing combined effort to recover the remaining crew members.”
The remains and the aircraft’s main fuselage were found by surface ships and dive teams who were involved in the ongoing search and recovery efforts, an AFSOC release said.
The aircraft was carrying eight airmen when the accident occurred on November 29.
The CV-22 Osprey was conducting a “routine training mission” at the time of the “mishap”, the Air Force said previously. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The Osprey has a history of mechanical and operational issues, and has been involved in several fatal incidents over the last 30 years. Last week’s crash comes just months after three US Marines were killed while flying in a MV-22B Osprey during a military exercise in Australia.
But statistically, the V-22’s mishap rate is lower than other aircraft. Marine aviation spokesman Maj. Jorge Hernandez told Marine Corps Times in 2022 that the Marine variant of the aircraft, the MV-22, had a mishap rate of 3.16 per 100,000 flight hours.