Search Ends for Missing Crewmember in CV-22 Crash Off Japan

Despite extensive efforts involving over 1,000 personnel and numerous assets, the U.S. Air Force concludes search without finding Major Eric Spendlove.

The U.S. Air Force has ended its search for the remains of a missing crewmember from the CV-22 Osprey crash off the coast of Japan in late November, which resulted in the death of all eight personnel on board.
The search involved more than 1,000 personnel, 46 aircraft, 23 maritime vessels, and 21 unmanned aerial and underwater systems, covering an area of more than 60,000 square kilometers of the ocean’s surface and 39 square kilometers of the ocean floor.
The majority of the aircraft has been recovered and the Air Force Special Operations Command continues its investigation into the cause of the crash.
Following the crash, the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps grounded all V-22 variants pending the outcome of the investigation into the cause of the accident.
The body of Major Eric Spendlove, a medical operations flight commander, has not been found.