On Friday, a Marine MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor plane crashed in the Norwegian Mountains during a training operation.
When pressed for details, the Marine Corps could only confirm that “an incident involving” an Osprey took place, according to Maj. Jim Stenger, a Marine spokesperson.
“At the time of the incident, the aircraft was training in Norway as part of Exercise Cold Response 22.”
The aircraft, which had a crew of four, was flying north through Nordland on its way to Bod for a scheduled arrival at 6 p.m. local time when it vanished from radar screens in Saltfjellet, a mountainous region in northern Norway.
According to the statement, after the Osprey was reported missing at 6:26 p.m., the Norwegian military deployed two rescue helicopters and an Orion long-range surveillance plan to hunt for the aircraft. “The weather conditions in the area are challenging,” it added, saying that around 9:17 p.m., “discoveries were made from the air Grtdalen in Beiarn.”
“We’ve discovered an aircraft that has crashed. We’ve seen no sign of life,” said Nordland police chief of staff Bent Eilertsen. Weather and the risk of avalanches have so far hindered aircraft from landing near the site, according to Eilertsen.
“Due to the weather conditions, it was not possible to go down to the site,” the Norwegian military statement said. “Police and rescue crews were on their way into the area at about 10 p.m.”
