More Bad News For The Osprey
A six-month investigation into the Marine Corps' troubled V-22 Osprey squadron has confirmed that maintenance records for the tilt-rotor aircraft were deliberately falsified in an attempt to make a bad situation look better, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.
The investigation by the Pentagon's Inspector General was begun as a result of a secretly recorded audio tape on which Lt. Col. Fred Leberman could be heard telling members of his squadron why they had to lie.
"The reason we need to lie or manipulate the data, or however you want to call it, is that this program is in jeopardy," he said.
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The Pentagon found the deception played no role in two fatal crashes of the tilt-rotor aircraft last year.
One of the crashes was captured on videotape from the cockpit of another Osprey.
According to the Inspector General, Leberman believed he was doing exactly what senior Marine Corps officers wanted, but the investigation found no evidence anybody had ordered him to falsify the records.
However, a number of officers below Leberman knew about it and did nothing to stop it.
An advance summary of the inspector general's findings, contained several major conclusions:
Leberman was relieved of duty the day the allegations became public, but now the Marine Corps must decide what disciplinary action to take against him and the other officers who knew about the falsifying of records.
The Osprey is built by Boeing Co. and Bell Helicopter Textron. It is considered a linchpin of the Marine Corps' aviation future, meant to replace a fleet of aging Vietnam-era helicopters.
All Ospreys have been grounded since the December crash.
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