Marine From Arlington Killed In Training Exercise In Australia

ARLINGTON, VA — A Marine from Arlington was killed in an aircraft crash on Sunday during a training exercise in northern Australia.

Cpl. Spencer Collart, 21, was one of three Marines killed in the crash of a Marine V-22B Osprey. The training exercise also included the militaries of Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor.

The Marine V-22B Osprey with 23 Marines on board crashed in a tropical forest on Melville Island in Australia. All 20 survivors were injured and were flown by rescue aircraft to a hospital about 50 miles away.

The cause of the crash has not been released as investigators remain at the site, according to reports.

Collart, who graduated from Washington-Liberty High School in 2020, first enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 26, 2020, and was promoted to the rank of Corporal in February. He served in Pensacola, Florida, and Jacksonville, North Carolina, before arriving at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, according to a news release.

His awards included the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

In an interview with WJLA-TV, Collart's family described him as a dedicated Marine who was passionate about aviation, loved serving his country and appreciated the life he was living.

“He was so passionate about what he was doing, and I don’t think he could have been in a better place, and such a leader,” Collart's 19-year-old sister, Gwyneth, told WJLA.

The other Marines who died in the crash were Capt. Eleanor LeBeau, 29, of Belleville, Illinois, an Osprey pilot, and Maj. Tobin Lewis, 37, of Jefferson, Colorado, the squadron’s executive officer.

The crash was the third fatal incident involving Marine Ospreys since March 2022, when four Marines died in Norway, Stars and Stripes reported. In June 2022, five Marines died when their Osprey went down in Southern California.