Air Force sergeant from Oviedo among eight killed in Osprey crash in Japan
“The honorable service of these eight airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history.” — Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind
WASHINGTON — An Air Force sergeant from Oviedo is among eight service members who died when their Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan last week, the Air Force Special Operations Command said Tuesday. The agency says it is now focused on recovering all of their bodies and the aircraft debris.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, was a medical operations flight chief assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan. He was among the Osprey crew that ranged in ages from 24 to 36 years old and came from eight states, including Florida, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Utah.
The CV-22B Osprey that Lavoy and the others were onboard crashed during a training mission. Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident has rekindled safety concerns.
Their commander says the sorrow among the small Air Force Special Operations community “is immeasurable.”
“The honorable service of these eight airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history,” said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind in a statement announcing the names of the crew.
President Joe Biden says he and first lady Jill Biden also are heartbroken by the loss.
On Monday, the Air Force said six of the eight crew members’ remains had been located. Three of those have been recovered. The two lost crew members were unlikely to have survived and the search for their remains was continuing, the Air Force said Tuesday.
The U.S.-made Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like an airplane, during flight. Japan has suspended all flights of its own fleet of 14 Ospreys.
Japanese officials say they have asked the U.S. military to resume Osprey flights only after ensuring their safety. The Pentagon said no such formal request has been made and that the U.S. military is continuing to fly 24 MV-22s, the Marine version of Ospreys, deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.
On Sunday, pieces of wreckage that Japan’s coast guard and local fishing boats have collected were handed over to the U.S. military for examination, coast guard officials said. Japan’s military said debris it has collected would also be handed over to the U.S.
Other members of the crew were:
■ U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was a CV-22 instructor pilot and officer in charge of training, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
■ U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.
■ U.S. Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
■ U.S. Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
■ U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
■ U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
■ U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob “Jake” M. Galliher, 24, was a native of Pittsfield, Mass. His remains were the first to be found.