US Marines identify 3 killed in Osprey aircraft crash in Australia

Oren Liebermann Heather Chen Brad Lendon Angus Watson Tara Subramaniam
By Oren Liebermann, Heather Chen, Brad Lendon, Angus Watson and Tara Subramaniam, CNN
4 minute read
Published 10:06 PM EDT, Mon August 28, 2023
Corporal Spencer R. Collart, Capt. Eleanor V. LeBeau and Maj. Tobin J. Lewis died in Sunday's crash.
Corporal Spencer R. Collart, Capt. Eleanor V. LeBeau and Maj. Tobin J. Lewis died in Sunday's crash.
United States Marine Corps
CNN  — 

Three US Marines who died when their Osprey aircraft crashed during a military exercise in Australia have been identified by their unit.

Corporal Spencer R. Collart, 21, Captain Eleanor V. LeBeau, 29, and Major Tobin J. Lewis, 37, were among 23 Marines on board the MV-22B Osprey when it crashed on Melville Island around 9:30 a.m. local time Sunday.

Collart was the Osprey crew chief, LeBeau a pilot and Lewis the executive officer of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 (VMM-363), their unit said Monday.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of three respected and beloved members of the MRF-D (Marine Rotational Force-Darwin) family,” said Col Brendan Sullivan, their commanding officer of the unit. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and with all involved.”

Of the other 20 Marines, three are still being treated in Royal Darwin Hospital. One of them is in critical condition, the other two are stable. The remaining 17 were treated for minor injuries and released.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

First responders carry out a rescue mission following the crash.
First responders carry out a rescue mission following the crash.
AuBC/AP

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered his condolences to the families of those killed and injured.

“These Marines served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families today, with the other troops who were injured in the crash, and with the entire USMC family,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The aircraft that crashed was one of two US Marine Osprey aircraft that left Darwin Sunday morning and flew towards the Tiwi Islands, about 80 kilometers away, Australia’s Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said.

Sullivan thanked the Australian forces and other groups who helped the Marines following the incident.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Australian Defence Force, Northern Territory Police, Northern Territory Government, CareFlight Air and Mobile Services, NT Health, National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, and Tiwi Island Government, who have come together to assist us in this difficult time,” Sullivan said.

Air Force CV-22 Ospreys take off from Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, for a training mission. The Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff, hover and landing qualities of a helicopter with the normal flight characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. Click through to see Ospreys in action.
Air Force CV-22 Ospreys take off from Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, for a training mission. The Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff, hover and landing qualities of a helicopter with the normal flight characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. Click through to see Ospreys in action.
U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Markus Maier
A CV-22 Osprey, flown by the Air Force's 8th Special Operations Squadron, hangs in an anechoic chamber at the Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in 2012.
A CV-22 Osprey, flown by the Air Force's 8th Special Operations Squadron, hangs in an anechoic chamber at the Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in 2012.
U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Samuel King
An MV-22 Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 soars over the Pacific Ocean during a flight from the Philippines to Australia in 2014. Marines and aircraft from VMM-262, VMM-265 and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 flew approximately 4,700 miles from Okinawa, Japan, to Brisbane, Australia, to provide aerial support for President Barack Obama and Marine Helicopter Squadron One during the G20 Summit. When paired with the KC-130J tanker, the Osprey can provide assault support anywhere in the 105 million square miles that make up the Marine Forces Pacific area of responsibility.
An MV-22 Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 soars over the Pacific Ocean during a flight from the Philippines to Australia in 2014. Marines and aircraft from VMM-262, VMM-265 and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 flew approximately 4,700 miles from Okinawa, Japan, to Brisbane, Australia, to provide aerial support for President Barack Obama and Marine Helicopter Squadron One during the G20 Summit. When paired with the KC-130J tanker, the Osprey can provide assault support anywhere in the 105 million square miles that make up the Marine Forces Pacific area of responsibility.
USMC/Staff Sgt. Zachary Dyer
A CV-22B Osprey receives fuel from an MC-130H Combat Talon II on June 21, 2013, off the coast of Greenland.
A CV-22B Osprey receives fuel from an MC-130H Combat Talon II on June 21, 2013, off the coast of Greenland.
U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Laura Yahemiak