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A prototype AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor that was part of the company’s test program crashed in Italy on Friday morning, killing both test pilots on board. Some press reports say there may have been an in-flight fire prior to the crash, but authorities have not confirmed any details. The aircraft had been built by Bell in 2003, and moved to AgustaWestland when they took over the program in 2011, with the aim to achieve certification by 2017. It was one of two aircraft in the test program; two more are under construction.
The program has a long history of setbacks and delays. The latest accident has stirred up recurring questions about the technology. “Are tilt-rotors airworthy?” asked a headline in Defense World News, the day after the crash. The design has seen a number of fatal accidents — in May, a V-22 Osprey crashed in Hawaii, killing two Marines; in 2000, an Arizona accident killed 23 Marines; and seven people died in a test-flight crash in Virginia in 1992. After the Hawaii crash, a Marines spokesman defended the aircraft’s record. “Factually, the MV-22 is safe,” said Capt. Eric Flanagan. “The MV-22 had the lowest Class A flight mishap rate of all Marine rotorcraft through the first 200,000 flight hours.” AgustaWestland said on its Twitter feed on Friday it “confirms … the tragic loss of two pilots … [and] is working with relevant authorities to determine the cause of the accident.”
AgustaWestland officials talked about their plans for the design at the Helicopter Association International expo in March; click here for the video.
