WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of serious accidents involving military aircraft will spike in 2024, according to internal Pentagon statistics, and a series of high-profile aviation accidents involving fatalities and aircraft losses in 2025 suggests a disturbing trend may continue.
Across the military, the rate of serious accidents per 100,000 flight hours increased by 55% in budget year 2024 compared to four years ago. The largest increase was in the Marine Corps, which nearly tripled over the same period.
The data, released to Congress by the Pentagon and provided exclusively to The Associated Press, tracks Class A accidents, the most severe accidents that result in death or permanent disability.
Aviation experts said the widespread deterioration trend was not due to any single factor, but rather reflected a number of small problems adding up to create a dangerous culture. These issues include increased operational demands; Dangerous aircraft like the V-22 Osprey Disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic have led to significant reductions in flight time across the military.
But with the number of serious accidents on the rise, some in Congress are demanding answers.
The data was released to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in January after her office requested the numbers following a spate of fatal crashes involving V-22 Osprey tiltrotor planes. Warren’s office provided the data to The Associated Press, which independently investigated it.
The statistics cover the entire budget year 2020-2023 and then the first 10 months of the 2024 budget year, ending July 31. Over a 10-month period last year, 25 military and Pentagon civilian personnel were killed and 14 aircraft were destroyed.
“These accident rates are incredibly alarming and require action,” Warren told The Associated Press in an emailed statement. She said legislative changes to make accident reporting more accessible are “sorely needed to enable Congress to understand the root causes of these accidents and save military lives.”
Some military aircraft are particularly prone to crashes
The Osprey flies like a plane but can land like a helicopter, making it one of the most dangerous aircraft, the Associated Press reported. reported extensively.
Additionally, new data from the Department of Defense shows that the rate of most serious Class A accidents for Apache helicopters during the 2024 budget year was approximately 4.5 times higher than four years ago. The C-130 transport plane, the military’s workhorse transport aircraft, nearly doubled its speed over the same period, even though it reported being safer in the intervening years.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about the trend.
navy data Aviation accidents alone have shown a significant increase this year. Naval Safety Command reported eight Class A aviation accidents in 2024. In 2025, that total jumped to 14 cases.
John Nance, an aviation expert and former military pilot, said the ever-increasing demands on military pilots likely played a large role in the rise in accidents.
“Whether we’re talking about ending Afghanistan, whether we’re talking about deployments to Djibouti, whether we’re talking about deployments to Djibouti, going back and forth to Saudi Arabia to get to the Emirates, I think as the pace of (military operations) picks up, I think accidents will accelerate even more,” Nance said.
There have been a number of accidents this year.
Although this data does not extend through 2025, there have been several high-profile aviation accidents this year, including an aircraft carrier crash at sea and a collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger plane over Washington, D.C., in January. 67 people died.
Survey results revealed The Black Hawk helicopter’s altimeter was broken. military pilot problems They were wearing night-vision goggles, and the Federal Aviation Administration failed to act on warnings about the dangers posed by helicopters in the area around Washington airports.
Unlike civilian aviators, military aviators face much less predictability and routine during their flights, Nance said.
“Aircraft commanders are making decisions based on the best information they have, but on an ad hoc basis, there is a level of uncertainty and unpredictability far beyond what commercial airlines experience,” he said.
In the spring, the Navy’s aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman Two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters were lost. Within weeks, one person failed to land and another slipped from the ship’s deck. fell into the sea.
December 2024, guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg Accidentally shoots down an F/A-18 From the carrier.
No aviators were killed in these episodes. The Navy has not released the results of its investigation into the causes of these accidents.
Recently, four U.S. Army soldiers who were part of an elite team conducting night missions were killed by a Black Hawk helicopter. It crashed near a military base in Washington state. During a training mission in September.
And in October, fighter jets and helicopters were both attacked from the aircraft carrier Nimitz. Crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes Didn’t kill anyone, but each other.
Nance did not rule out the possibility that the spike in accidents was a downstream effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen military pilots fly for far less time.
“The safety buffer is influenced by millions of things,” Nance said. Some have a small impact, while others have a big impact. He said the pandemic had “significantly impacted our operational capabilities.”
Warren’s office is now asking the Pentagon to provide more detailed numbers on air crashes over time from 2019 to 2025, according to a request sent to the Pentagon and reviewed by The Associated Press. The request includes questions about Class A accidents, but also seeks data on less serious Class B and C accidents.
Warren’s office is also asking further questions about how the military trains its air crews and maintenance personnel.
