The three US Marines killed in a horrific plane crash in Australia’s Top End have been identified.
A military training exercise went horribly wrong when their tilt-rotor Boeing MV-22B Osprey plane dove to the ground and caught fire on remote Melville Island, 80km north of Darwin, on Sunday.
United States Marine Corps Crew Chief Corporal Spencer Collart, 21, Pilot Captain Eleanor LeBeau, 29, and Major Tobin Lewis, 37, died in the accident.
Their bodies are expected to be found at the scene of the accident on Tuesday.
Twenty other US Marines on board have been hospitalized, one of whom continues to fight to survive.
Captain Eleanor LeBeau, 29 (pictured) was the pilot aboard the Osprey helicopter.
DEAD: Corporal Spencer Collart, 21 (left) and Major Tobin Lewis, 37 (right) also died
Corporal Collart, 21, of Arlington, Va., was the team leader aboard the helicopter during the exercise.
He has served in Florida, North Carolina and Hawaii since joining the US Marines in October 2020.
He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon during his three-year tenure.
Captain LeBeau, 29, of Belleville, Illinois, was the pilot aboard the Osprey and received the same honors as Corporal Collart.
She served in Florida, Texas, North Carolina and Hawaii during her five years of service.
Major Lewis had served a highly decorated stint in the Marine Corps since 2008, with postings in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Japan and Hawaii.
Maj. Jefferson Colorado received a series of honors, including two Navy and Marine Corps commendation medals.
The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Naval Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, War Service Medal World War on Terrorism and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons were also among the medals.
Colonel Brendan Sullivan, commander of Marine Rotational Force Darwin, said the entire Marine Corps Force “family” was deeply saddened by the tragedy.
“At this time, we remain focused on providing necessary support to ongoing recovery and investigation efforts,” he said.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Australian Defense Force, Northern Territory Police, Northern Territory Government, CareFlight Air and Mobile Services, NT Health, National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center and Government from Tiwi Island, who have come together to help us through this difficult time.
Survivors of the crash joined Darwin residents in a moving memorial ceremony and candlelight vigil hosted by the local RSL on Monday evening.
Three US Marines have been killed while 20 others have been hospitalized after a military training exercise went horribly wrong. Pictured is an A Care Flight helicopter at Darwin International Airport deployed to transport the injured.
“It was such a terrible tragedy, so many young lives,” a resident told Nine News.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin paid tribute to the dead Marines on Monday.
“These Marines have served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers today go out to their families, to the other soldiers injured in the crash, and to the entire USMC family,” he said. tweeted.
US President Joe Biden added, “Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of the Marines who lost their lives in this fatal accident. We pray for those who have also suffered injuries.
The Osprey that crashed was one of two to fly from Darwin to Melville on Sunday.
Of the 20 US Marines hospitalized, three remain in treatment, including one in critical condition in intensive care.
“We are incredibly lucky and incredibly grateful, for a helicopter that crashes and then catches fire, to have 20 marines surviving, I think that’s an incredible result,” said the Northern Territory Police Commissioner, Michael Murphy.
The complex investigation into the cause of the accident continues
“This recovery and investigation will be long, enduring and complex,” Mr. Murphy said.
The Boeing MV-22B Osprey, with 23 people on board, crashed on Melville Island in the Tiwi Islands at 9:43 a.m. local time on Sunday.
An aviation tracking Twitter account (pictured) reported that a ‘RAAF C-130 has been flying over the area for some time and a Careflight helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft are also on site’.
“We plan to stay at the crash site for at least 10 days.”
The MoD said the incident happened during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023, the NT’s largest Australian-led military exercise.
No Australian member was involved.
About 150 US Marines are stationed in Darwin and participate in military exercises alongside soldiers from Australia, Indonesia, East Timor and the Philippines.
The Marine Osprey aircraft has a tumultuous history, with a number of mechanical and operational issues since its introduction in the 1980s.
Since 2012, 19 people have died in six accidents involving the Osprey.
The Osprey is designed to be able to take off vertically like a helicopter, but have the speed and range of a conventional aircraft,
