A US Air Force special operations aircraft has been stuck in a remote Norwegian nature preserve for almost a month following an 'emergency landing,' officials say
Norwegian Armed Forces
- A US military aircraft was forced to land at a remote nature preserve in northern Norway last month.
- The Osprey made a "controlled emergency landing," a Norwegian military official told Insider.
- Norway and the US are trying to rescue the aircraft by using a boat equipped with a crane.
A US Air Force Osprey aircraft has been stuck at a remote nature preserve in northern Norway for almost a month, a Norwegian military official said on Thursday.
The military tiltrotor aircraft, which has the ability to fly like a prop plane or hover like a helicopter, made a "controlled emergency landing" on August 12 at the Stongodden nature preserve on the island of Senja and has been stuck ever since, Lt. Col. Eivind Byre, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Air Force, told Insider.
Norway's military is working with the US Air Force and local environmental protection officials to craft a plan to rescue the aircraft, Byre said.
"Roughly speaking, it involves retrieving the plane with a crane boat, but to make this possible, the plane must be moved a little closer to shore," Byre said. "Therefore, we plan to build a small road out of wood materials which makes as little harm to nature as possible."
"Weather and wind in Norway this time of the year can change quite quickly and is an important factor to consider," Byre added.
Byre said they are currently waiting on the boat to arrive and hope to start the operation early next week. The official did not specify why the aircraft made an emergency landing.
Air Force Times, however, reported on Wednesday that the a mid-flight mechanical problem — caused by an issue with the tiltrotor's clutch system — forced the crew to land the aircraft.
The US Air Force did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but air service officials have spoken on the matter.
"These things never seem to happen at airfields," Air Force Special Operations Command's (AFSOC) Lt. Gen. Jim Slife said at an Air and Space Forces Association discussion, according to Air Force Times. "They always seem to happen in Norwegian nature preserves above the Arctic Circle at the onset of winter."
The specific Osprey stuck in the nature preserve was identified by Air Force Times as a CV-22 model — a special operation forces variant of the US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey. According to AFSOC, its role is to "conduct long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions for special operations forces."
"The aircraft is damaged but the extent is unknown," AFSOC spokesperson Lt. Col. Becky Heyse told Air Force Times. "With other similar incidents, the gearbox had to be replaced, and, in some instances, the engine as well."