Officer Admits Osprey Falsifying

Friday, January 19th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” The commander of the Marine Corps' only Osprey aircraft squadron has admitted asking his subordinates to falsify maintenance records relating to the flight readiness of the hybrid helicopter-airplane, a senior Marine Corps official said Friday.

The officer was fired Thursday, nearly a week after the allegations were made anonymously.

``He admitted that he had done essentially what was on the tape,'' the senior official said, referring to an audio tape received Jan. 12 in which Lt. Col. Odin Fred Leberman allegedly told members of his Osprey squadron to falsify maintenance records.

The senior official, who is closely involved in details of the case, spoke on condition of anonymity. He said the Marines would announce the Leberman admission and perhaps release a transcript of the tape later Friday.

Leberman made the admission Jan. 13 to his immediate superior, a colonel who in turn passed the word to Maj. Gen. Dennis Krupp, commanding general of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Krupp relieved Leberman of duty as squadron commander on Thursday, the same day the Marine Corps inspector general arrived at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., to launch an investigation of the squadron.

The Marine Corps also has began a legal investigation that could result in criminal charges against Leberman, the senior official said.

In announcing the allegations Thursday, the Marine Corps said it believes there is no connection between the alleged falsification of documents and the causes of two Osprey crashes last year that killed 23 Marines.

``There is nothing in these allegations, even if substantiated, that would have affected the safety of the aircraft,'' said Maj. Patrick Gibbons, a spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters in the Pentagon.

The senior official who spoke Friday said it appears the anonymous allegations were made by a member of Leberman's squadron.

Gibbons said he could not be more specific because he had not been informed of the exact allegations.

``In a general way, they (falsifications) were made to put the aircraft in a better light,'' Gibbons said.

Leberman, 45, had commanded the training squadron at New River since June 1999.

The Marines also said the service's inspector general, Brig. Gen. Timothy Ghormley, arrived at New River on Thursday with an eight-person investigating team to interview all 241 members of the squadron. Gibbons said Leberman is the main subject of the investigation, but ``they are going to take a very detailed look at the entire squadron.''

The Osprey, which uses tilt-rotor technology to take off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane, has come under intense fire from critics, including some members of Congress, since one crashed last April in Arizona, killing all 19 Marines aboard. Investigators blamed it on human error.

On Dec. 11, another Osprey crashed in North Carolina, killing four Marines. That crash is under investigation.

Both Ospreys were part of Leberman's squadron.

After the latest crash, the Pentagon suspended Osprey flights and is reviewing the entire program.

In a statement released Thursday, the Pentagon said the allegations against Leberman were received anonymously in the office of the secretary of the Navy in the form of a letter and an audio tape. Gibbons, the Marine spokesman, said the tape contains a recording of Leberman's voice, but he had no other details.

Gibbons said he did not know whether the allegations were made by a Marine. He said he could not release copies of either the letter or the audio tape because they are evidence in the investigation.

The CBS ``Evening News'' on Thursday reported that it had obtained a copy of the tape, and that on it Leberman told his squadron members to ``continue to lie'' about Osprey maintenance problems and the aircraft's readiness for flight. CBS said the tape was made Dec. 29 at New River.

CBS did not air the audio tape but said it would have more to report on the story Sunday on its ''60 Minutes'' program.

Repeated calls to New River, where Leberman is based, to seek comment from him were not returned. Gibbons said he did not know whether Leberman disputes the allegations against him.

Leberman spoke at a memorial Dec. 15 for the four Marines who died in the crash near Jacksonville, N.C., saying each victim contributed to developing the Osprey.

``They were all patriots of their country,'' Leberman said. ``They have done the hard job their country has asked them to do.''

The tilt-rotor Osprey is built by Boeing Co. and Bell Helicopter Textron. It is a linchpin of the Marine Corps' aviation future because the aircraft is meant to replace a fleet of aging Vietnam-era helicopters.

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On the Net:

Osprey program: http://www.navair.navy.mil/v22/