Smoke inside a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft forced the pilot to land at the Twentynine Palms airport Tuesday. Just after 5:30 p.m., the Miramar-based pilot radioed that there was smoke inside the cabin and requested assistance as the Osprey made an emergency landing at the airport east of Twentynine Palms. The aircraft from the VMM-161 squadron landed safely, and everyone on board got out without incident. Fire crews from the Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, and Joshua Tree, as well as Morongo Basin Ambulance were called to the scene, but the fire was out by the time the engines arrived. The combat-assault aircraft was participating in the seven-week Weapons-Tactics Instructor course and Integrated Training Exercise 1-21 in Yuma, Arizona.
