By Jerald Jimenez
Aug 14, 2024, 1:47 PM EDT
A recent investigation by the United States Army has revealed details about the tragic plane crash of an MV-22B Osprey in Australia, which occurred in August 2023 and resulted in the deaths of a corporal and two others.
Spencer Collart, 21, who was initially thought to have died on impact, actually died as he heroically returned to the burning cockpit to try to save the trapped pilots.
The Marine Corps’ official report concluded that Collart did not die in the initial crash, but rather lost his life while attempting to rescue his fellow soldiers. The MV-22B Osprey, carrying 23 service members, crashed during a military exercise, resulting in the deaths of Capt. Eleanor LeBeau, Maj. Tobin Lewis, as well as Collart.
Most of the Osprey’s occupants managed to escape out the back of the aircraft, but the situation became more complicated when Collart, having initially escaped, decided to return to the burning cockpit in a desperate attempt to save the pilots. The corporal succumbed to the heat and smoke along with the two pilots and died.
The circumstances of Collart’s death were initially unclear, as a surviving commander of the crash described seeing him escape from the wreckage through a side door. However, rescue crews later recovered the marine’s safety line at the scene of the disaster, confirming his rescue attempt.
Collart escaped the wreckage but then ran into the flames to try to rescue Lewis from the cabin, the reports said. His rescue actions are expected to be posthumously honored with the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the Navy’s highest noncombatant decoration.
With information from Fox News