VMM-363 MV-22B Crash In Australia

A US Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey based out of Marine Corps Air Field Kāneʻohe Bay crashed in Australia, with 23 Marines aboard on Sunday. The accident took the lives of three Marines, with five seriously injured, and the other 15 Marines treated on scene.  The Osprey belonging to the VMM-363 “Red Lions”went down on Melville Island, during Exercise Predator’s Run 2023. The Osprey was carrying Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment from Camp Pendleton, CA. Both units are also part of this year's Marine Rotational Force - Darwin.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the lost, and the injured and their families. 

We thank them for their service and sacrifice.

Major Tobin Lewis, Pilot and Executive Officer

Captain Eleanor Lebeau, Pilot

Corporal Spencer Collart, Crew Chief

Further information in this Marine Corps press release, Marine Corps Times article, AviationSafety.net report, and this KHON2 News report.

President Biden's Maui Visit

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived at OGG from RNO aboard Air Force One, using a VC-32A, 19-0018 (c/n 28172, l/n 772) today, to tour the devastation of the wildfires that swept through Maui. The First Couple returned to RNO this afternoon.

08-8192 (c/n 50215, l/n F214) as RCH4554 and 02-1106 (c/n 50114, l/n F113) as RCH4183 brought over the two USMC VH-60N WhiteHawks and the motorcade vehicles, for the flight over Olinda, Kula, and Lāhainā fire zones, then onto JHM, where the presidential motorcade took them to Front Street in Lāhainā to view the damage from the ground with the Hawaiʻi Congressional delegation, Governor Josh Green, and Maui Mayor Richard Bissen. Both C-17As are assigned to the 62nd AW / 446th AW at McChord AFB, WA.

Three MV-22A Ospreys from Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi's VMM-363 “Red Lions” provided transportation from the White House press corps from OGG to JHM, and back.

The E-4B that travels with the President was 73-1677 (c/n 20863, l/n 204) flying as GRIM99, stopped off at HIK during the visit.

Two C-37As, the US Air Force's 01-0065 (msn 652) of the 65th AS / 15th Wing, and the US Navy's 166375 "Spirit of Midway Island" (msn 657), both based at HIK, were also at OGG on the East Ramp.

Marine 2

Two MV-22 Ospreys from VMM-161 transported US Vice President Joe Biden to and from USS John C. Stennis, 140mi south of O‘ahu as "Marine 2".

MV-22

An MV-22 Osprey on board the USS America, Pearl Harbor RIMPAC tour.

USMC MV-22 Accident At Bellows AFB

An MV-22 Osprey from the US Marine Corps' VMM-161 "Greyhawks", crashed at Bellows Air Force Station / Marine Corps Training Area Bellows in Waimānalo, around 11:00HST. There were 21 Marines and a Navy corpsman aboard; with one fatality and 12 injured, and the smoke plume can be seen from Kailua.

The MV-22s (three in total), and those aboard are from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton, CA, here for training exercises.

Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to those aboard, and their families.

Initial reports in this Hawaii News Now article, and an article from CBS Los Angeles.

HMH-363 Bids Aloha ‘Oe To The CH-53D

The HMH-363 "Lucky Red Lions" bid a fond aloha ‘oe (farewell) to the Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter, in a retirement ceremony held at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i this afternoon. The Heavy Marine Helicopter squadron will be transitioning to the Bell Boeing MV-22A Osprey Tilt-Rotor aircraft at NAS Miramar, CA for a three year training period, returning to Kāne‘ohe in 2015.

The "Lucky Red Lions" will be the first of the four CH-53D squadrons to transition to the MV-22A.

The above photo was taken at the 2010 Kāne‘ohe Bay Air Show.

More details in this Hawai‘i News Now article.