While there were no known mechanical failures during the Australia crash, that Osprey should have never been deemed safe for flight that day, according to the investigation. It was also loaded with excess fuel not accounted for during the planning phase of the operation, meaning the pilots had to maneuver a heavy aircraft with seconds to react during a near-miss collision with another Osprey.
Twenty other Marines aboard the Osprey survived the crash, and Collart's family attributed that to the skill and competence of Lewis and LeBeau.
"God bless the three of them; we consider them all to be heroes," Bart Collart, Spencer's father, said during the ceremony. Quoting one of the surviving Marines in the crash, he said, "Those three Marines made the ultimate sacrifice, putting the lives of others before their own. Because of their bravery, skill and training, 20 Marines are alive today."