Pittsford man one of eight US airmen killed in Osprey crash in Japan

A Pittsford man was among eight airmen killed when an Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed off the southern coast of Japan last week.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford was among those killed in the Nov. 29 crash, which occurred during a training mission, according to a news release from the Air Force. Brayman was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Brayman was a 2009 graduate of Pittsford Mendon High School, according to the Pittsford Central School District.

Air Force Special Operations on Tuesday said that remains of six of the eight crew members were located. Three of those remains were recovered as of midday Tuesday. The two lost crew members were unlikely to have survived and the search for their remains was still underway on Tuesday, the Air Force said.

"The depth of sorrow is immeasurable," Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, who heads Air Force Special Operations Command, said in a news release. "The honorable service of these eight airmen to this great nation will never be forgotten, as they are now among the giants who shape our history."

President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were heartbroken by the loss.

"We owe them everything," Biden said in a statement. "Jill and I are praying for the families and friends who lost a loved one in this terrible accident."

The other seven lost crew members include:

• U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was a CV-22 instructor pilot and officer in charge of training, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

• U.S. Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.

• U.S. Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

• U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida, was a medical operations flight chief assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Japan.

• U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

• U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was a flight engineer assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

• U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob "Jake" M. Galliher, 24, was a native of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His remains were the first to be found.

The U.S.-made Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter but can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster, like an airplane, during flight. Ospreys have had a number of crashes, including in Japan, where they are used at U.S. and Japanese military bases, and the latest accident has rekindled safety concerns.

Japan has suspended all flights of its own fleet of 14 Ospreys. Japanese officials say they have asked the U.S. military to resume Osprey flights only after ensuring their safety. The Pentagon said no such formal request has been made and that the U.S. military is continuing to fly 24 MV-22s, the Marine version of Ospreys, deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

On Sunday, pieces of wreckage that Japan's coast guard and local fishing boats have collected were handed over to the U.S. military for examination, coast guard officials said. Japan's military said debris it has collected would also be handed over to the U.S.

Includes reporting by the Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Terrell Brayman one of eight US airmen killed in Osprey crash in Japan