Posted on 07/22/2026 8:14:48 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
MESA, Ariz. - A U.S. Marine Corps military aircraft caught fire at Mesa Gateway Airport on Sunday, prompting an emergency response from local firefighting crews.
What we know: Mesa Fire & Medical Department units rushed to the airfield around 6 p.m. on July 19 after reports of a fire originating in one of the aircraft's engines.
Specialized Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting equipment was quickly deployed to the scene, where crews used advanced foam agents to smother the flames and bring the hazard under control. Officials confirmed that there were no injuries reported among the aircraft's crew or the responding firefighters.
Ryan Smith, the Director of Communications and Government Relations for the Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, told FOX 10 that the aircraft was grounded as emergency teams secured the area.
On July 20, Marine Corps spokesperson 1st Lt. Callin Duffy stated, "We can confirm that an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft belonging to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing experienced a ground mishap during a training exercise at Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona on July 19, 2026. Upon startup and while still on the ground, the aircraft’s right nacelle caught on fire. The pilots and aircrew conducted an emergency shutdown in accordance with established procedure, and all personnel safely evacuated the aircraft. No injuries were reported. The incident is under investigation. No further details are available at this time."
What we don't know: The cause of the engine fire is currently unknown and remains under investigation.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include the U.S. Marine Corps statement, which corrects the name of the aircraft and branch of service.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox10phoenix.com ...
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I wasn’t aware until going through this story, including other sites that the military has more than 450 V-22 Osprey aircraft between the Marine Corps, the Navy, and the Air Force (mostly Marine Corps).
Guess they’re now making Osprey EV’s?
Isn’t every vehicle fire an EV?
(Just a lighthearted comment. I do not have nor promote EVs.)
I know ZERO about military aircraft. Given that I do understand that the osprey has a role that’s different from the A-10. It’s seems odd, though that they seem intent upon killing the A-10 and keeping the troublesome osprey.
Am I missing something? I mean, besides patience, understanding and the goodwill of my youth
An EV wouldn’t last in the Marines. The Marine Corps has a reputation for being hard on their equipment. I’ve seen the difference in depot level work on their aircraft versus Navy and Air Force.
There was one on display at the Blue Angels airshow in Brunswick, ME recently. I asked the Lt. Colonel pilot how difficult it was to fly. His answer: “It’s a handful.”
A-10s and Ospreys have totally different missions. There is no comparison.
The V-22 is used in the role of an advanced helicopter but with less ground attack capability than other helicopters.
The A-10 mission is ground attack, although it's taken on some roles as a small boat destroyer in the last few years.
The A-10 is increasingly susceptible to ground to air missiles, while at the same time fewer of our enemies have large quantities of tanks which the A-10 was designed to take out.
I was in when they were working up the development of these sh!+birds. They were responsible for unnecessary deaths of a lot of good Marine aviators. They are a VERY sore spot in my memory and I have hated them since inception.
Lithium ion
A: Estimates depend on the cutoff date.
- 62 fatalities total (killed “a total of sixty-two people”) from V-22 Osprey accidents up to November 2023. (Wikipedia)
- 64 fatalities (64 personnel killed) reported later in 2024 by the Associated Press (it reflects a later window that includes additional fatal crashes after the Nov 2023 total).
=======================================================
One would think that this would strike some reporter as newsworthy or a Congress person needing investigation...
There may soon be a test of that theory on the border of Kuwait.
The Osprey has been a troubled mode of transport from the very beginning of it’s service... Lots of problems and lots of accidents.
Wikipedia...
Accidents
Main article: Accidents and incidents involving the V-22 Osprey
The V-22 Osprey has had 17 hull-loss accidents with a total of 65 fatalities as of 22 April 2026. During testing from 1991 to 2000, there were four crashes causing 30 fatalities. As of 2023, the V-22 has had 13 crashes which caused 32 fatalities since becoming operational in 2007. The aircraft’s accident history has generated controversy over its perceived safety issues. Following the November 2023 crash in Japan, the Osprey was grounded for three months.
Yikes!
.
Not a Good Look.
S—tBirds ....
And they fight against the A-10?
What with their poor performance record during development I often wondered (back in ‘68) why MCAF New River had one parked in front of their headquarters.
Cant be lithium because no known extinguisher agent will put out a lithium fire. Plus lithium burns so hot it would have set the aluminum skin alight and there’d have been nothing left but ashes.
Probably a fuel leak. That articulating (’tilting’) joint is uber-complicated because of the liquids — which includes fuel — that have to to pass through it.
Which is one advantage electric motors have over internal combustion in tilt rotors in some applications.
Just when the Marine Corps and DOW had everyone convinced the plane was safe.
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