Press pool for Biden's Minnesota visit switches aircraft after hearing "bang," seeing "smoke"
MINNEAPOLIS — The press covering President Joe Biden's Minnesota visit had to switch aircraft at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport following his arrival.
"Shortly after our osprey took off poolers heard a bang and smelled smoke. Our chopper landed and we are now switching aircraft," officials said.
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The press fly in the Ospreys when Biden flies in a helicopter to a destination instead of motorcade.
The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft used to move troops and supplies. It can take off and land like a helicopter, but can also fly like a plane.
This is not the first time an Osprey has had technical problems.
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In August, an Osprey crash killed three U.S. marines and injured 20 others. Before that crash, there had been five fatal crashes of Marine Ospreys since 2012, causing a total of 16 deaths.
Biden landed at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport at 1:26 local time.
He announced billions in investments for rule communities throughout the country.
We tragically lost service members during a training exercise in Australia overnight. These Marines served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families today, with the other troops who were injured in the crash, and with the entire USMC…
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) August 27, 2023