Navy issues ‘safety pause’ after recent deadly aircraft crashes

String of crashes leads Navy to ground its aircraft while safety reviews are conducted

The Navy has ordered all aircraft to take a one-day “safety pause” after several recent crashes resulted in the deaths of five Marines and a Navy pilot.

The pause takes effect on Monday for all non-deployed units to “review risk-management practices” and carry out training on “error-management processes”, the Navy said in a press release on Saturday.

Deployed aircraft will conduct their own safety pause “at the earliest possible opportunity”.

On Wednesday, five Marines were killed when their MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed in a remote area of Imperial County around 30 miles north of the Mexican border.

The Marines said on Saturday a “mishap” had occurred during a routine flight training exercise.

“The mishap is currently under investigation,” they said in a statement.

Among the five dead service members was John Jeffrey Sax, 33, the son of former Los Angeles Dodgers star Steve Sax.

Captain John Sax was one of five Marines killed when their helicopter crashed in a training accident (US Marine Corps)

Four Navy air crew survived when their MH-60S Seahawk crashed the next day during a training flight near El Centro, California, Naval Air Forces said.

One of the crew members suffered non-life threatening injuries and was treated in a local hospital.

On June 3, Navy pilot Richard Bullock was killed when his F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet crashed in a remote part of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. The crash remains under investigation.

Commander Zachary Harrell, public affairs officer for the Naval Air Forces, told The Los Angeles Times that ensuring the safety of personnel “remains one of our top priorities”.