Naval Air Systems Command issued a flight clearance Friday for the V-22 Osprey, three months after the entire fleet of over 400 tiltrotors was grounded following a fatal crash in Japan.
“Maintenance and procedural changes have been implemented to address the materiel failure that allow for a safe return to flight,” the command said.
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force were expected to initiate return-to-flight plans according to each service’s specific guidelines.
The grounding was ordered on Dec. 6 following the crash of an Air Force Osprey off the coast of Japan on Nov. 29 that killed eight airmen.
The Navy said equipment failure caused the crash, but did not provide further details.
Ospreys are a familiar site in the San Diego area, operating from both Miramar and North Island.
The aircraft is considered key to warfighting capability because it can take off and land vertically like a helicopter but pivot its engines and then fly much faster than a helicopter once in the air.