Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey crash near Bladen Lakes State Forest, North Carolina, United States

The tiltrotor was one of a flight of aircraft training near the former North Carolina Forest Service airstrip in Bladen Lakes State Forest when a fire broke out on board. The crew made a hard emergency landing near the Pappy Tatum landing zone, off Sweet Home Church Road in Bladen County, about 50 miles west of Camp Lejeune. The aircraft was carrying roughly 6,000 pounds of fuel and was still burning that afternoon, with six or seven fire departments on scene holding the area while Marine Corps personnel decided whether to use foam. It was reported destroyed. Four personnel were on board. The Marine Corps said all four were receiving medical care and did not release their conditions, which several national outlets reported as four injuries; the Bladen County fire chief, Dale Brennan, said on scene that one marine had suffered burns and was airlifted to the UNC Jaycee Burn Center at Chapel Hill and that the other three were unhurt. The figure recorded here follows the fire chief. The aircraft was operated by Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, the Golden Eagles, of Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, from Marine Corps Air Station New River. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Coordinates are approximate to the state forest.