Washington, D.C. – This week Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) introduced H. Res. 698, legislation expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the fatal crash of an MV-22 aircraft on April 8, 2000, in Marana, Arizona, was not a result of aircrew human factors or pilot error.

On April 8, 2000, the late Lieutenant Colonel John A. Brow and the late Major Brooks S. Gruber, a resident of Jacksonville, North Carolina, were the Marine pilots of an MV-22 Osprey that crashed during a training mission as part of a test phase to determine the aircraft’s operational suitability for the Marine Corps. Seventeen other Marines were killed in the crash.

“Over the past nine years, I have worked with many aviation experts in the Corps, and outside the Corps who helped me reach the conclusion that Lt. Col. Brow and Maj. Gruber were not at fault for the crash,” Congressman Jones said. “However – due to early military communications about the crash – the news media have often relayed inaccurate reports and misinformed the public by attributing the cause of the mishap to ‘pilot error.’ That’s why it is so important to set the record straight.”

“Earlier this year, I asked the Marine Corps to include in the Official Military Personnel Files of Lt. Col. Brow and Major Gruber a memo which exonerates them from responsibility for the mishap. The memo includes 17 facts regarding the crash – outlined in H. Res. 698 – which were developed based on my review of official investigations and public records, as well as extensive discussions with aviation experts. The evidence shows that the fatal factor in the crash was the aircraft’s lack of a Vortex Ring State (VRS) warning system and the pilots’ lack of critical training regarding the extreme dangers of VRS onset in the Osprey. I am very grateful that the Marine Corps has accepted the relevance of these facts and, on February 20, 2009, they included my memo in the personnel files of these two Marines,” Jones said.

“Lt. Col. Brow and Maj. Gruber and their families are dishonored by the assertion that the aircrew were at fault for this fatal crash. To finally bring this tragedy to a conclusion, and to remove the stigma that has been unfairly attached to these two pilots, I have written the Navy to ask that they do the right thing – as the Marine Corps did the right thing – by including this memo in the official safety investigation report of the mishap. While I await action by the Navy, I also hope this congressional resolution will help properly honor the sacrifice of these pilots who bravely gave their lives in service to their country,” Jones concluded.

To view the text of H. Res. 698, click here.

To view a video of Congressman Jones speaking on this issue, click here.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter Jones, please contact Kathleen Joyce at 202-225-3415.