MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, California (KABC) – One of five Marines killed in a training flight crash in Imperial County has been identified as the 33-year-old son of former Los Angeles Dodgers player Steve Sax .
Captain John J. Sax, of Placer, California, was identified Friday by the U.S. Marine Corps along with four others who died when his Osprey tiltrotor plane crashed during training.
John J. Sax and Captain Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, were among the two dead pilots.
Three tilting rotor crew heads also died: Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois; Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming and Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico.
The longest serving marine was Losapio, aged 8 years and 9 months, while Strickland had been in service for 1 year and 7 months.
We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the five Marines who died in a mishap of an MV-22B Osprey in Glamis, CA on June 8, 2022. The five Marines were assigned to 364 Marine Medium Squadron. Tiltrotor.
(Part 1) pic.twitter.com/RLnyPe9H9B
– 3rd Wing of Navy Aircraft (@ 3rdmaw) June 11, 2022
The names of the deceased are: Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois, crew chief. Captain Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, MV-22B pilot. Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming, Tiltrotor crew chief. (2nd part) pic.twitter.com/Ll7MTysO4m
– 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (@ 3rdmaw) June 11, 2022 The MV-22 Osprey crashed Wednesday afternoon during training in a remote area of Imperial County near the Glamis community, about 115 miles east of San Diego and about 50 miles from Yuma, Arizona.
The Marines were based at Camp Pendleton and were assigned to the 364th Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron of Marine Group 39, part of the 3rd Wing of Marine Aircraft based at Marine Corps Miramar Air Station in San Diego.
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of five Purple Fox family marines,” Squadron Commander Lt. Col. John C. Miller said in a statement. “Our main mission now is to take care of the family members of our fallen Marines and we respectfully ask for privacy for their families as they navigate this difficult time.”
The Sax family has not issued a public statement.
The cause of the accident is being investigated.
The Marines were participating in a routine live fire training on their artillery field in the Imperial Valley Desert, said Navy Major Mason Englehart, spokesman for the 3rd Wing of Aircraft Marines.
The Osprey, a hybrid plane and helicopter, flew in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but some have been criticized for being unsafe. It is designed to take off like a helicopter, rotate its propellers to a horizontal position and sail like an airplane.
The aircraft versions are piloted by the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Air Force.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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