ST. GEORGE, Utah — A St. George flight surgeon was one of eight service members identified Tuesday after being killed in a military aircraft crash near Japan last week.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove from St. George was aboard the CV-22B Osprey when it went down Wednesday during a training mission off the southwestern coast of Japan.
Bodies of six of the eight crew members have been located, according to the Associated Press, and three have been recovered. The remaining two crew members are considered to have not likely survived.
Spendlove was a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kadena Air Base in Japan.
"Maj. Spendlove served this nation with honor, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time," said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but during flight can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster like an airplane. Versions of the aircraft are flown by the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.
Scripps News reports the aircraft had departed from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture and crashed on its way to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa.
“The depth of sorrow is immeasurable," said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, who heads Air Force Special Operations Command, in a statement announcing the names of the crew. "The honorable service of these eight airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history,”
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
