Officials Call Off Search for MV-22 Crewmember Missing in the Persian Gulf

US officials in the Persian Gulf have called off the search for a missing Marine, who bailed out of an MV-22 Osprey on Wednesday after the aircraft experienced difficulties in flight, according to an Oct. 2 Defense Department release. The Marine, one of two enlisted members in the four-man crew, “is presumed lost at sea,” states the release. The aircraft lost power as it was taking off from the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, which has been deployed in support of operations in Syria and Iraq. Two crew members jumped out of the aircraft when it appeared it would crash into the sea, but the pilot was able to regain control and safely land the MV-22 aboard the ship. The second member of the aircrew to jump “was safely recovered. He is in stable condition aboard Makin Island,” states the release. “US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel conducted an extensive search of the area using all available assets, which continued throughout the night and the next day,” states the release. “The Osprey’s crew was participating in flight operations in support of its current mission at the time of the mishap.”