Warren, Markey, Neal Call for Grounding V-22 Osprey Until “Significant Deficiencies” Addressed, Request Further Transparency from DoD
A spike in V-22 incidents over the last 5 years makes clear major changes are needed to ensure the aircraft’s safety
“The V-22 should not resume full operations until the safety board’s recommendations are implemented, and service members and their families can be confident the platform is safe to fly.”
“We are concerned that NDAs will undermine congressional oversight, accountability, and transparency necessary to address deficiencies that put service members’ lives at risk.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representative Richard Neal (D-Mass.) wrote to the Department of Defense (DoD), calling for the full fleet of Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys (V-22, Osprey) to be grounded until its persistent safety issues are resolved. The lawmakers also called for the DoD to release the Safety Investigation Board’s report, which contains additional findings and recommendations to address the V-22’s challenges. The Associated Press (AP) found that over the last 5 years, incidents with the vehicle have spiked despite a drop in the number of hours flown.
Two recent safety reports from Air Force investigations into the most recent fatal crash in November 2023 found the accident was the result of “a long list of institutional and manufacturing issues” and called for the airworthiness process for the aircraft to be overhauled. This crash killed eight service members, including Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher– a young father from Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The public report by the Accident Investigation Board (AIB), blames the crew in part for not heeding warning lights, even though pilots have reported that those lights were “considered common” and “just part of the vehicle’s operation.”
The AIB report, along with an internal Safety Investigation Board (SIB) report (which has not been publicly released) confirm that program failures were actually responsible for the crash, and that the military knew of the program failures for years. Both the AIB and SIB reports indicate that the November 2023 crash was due to “fracturing of a single gear… which caused other failures in the proprotor gearbox.” The AP also found that critical components “are wearing out faster than expected,” causing those parts to be replaced more often.
According to press reports the SIB reports include recommendations to address the future safety of weapons programs. The lawmakers are urging the Air Force to make the SIB report from the November 2023 crash public and reconsider its policy of keeping SIB reports confidential.
“Failing to share that information with Congress harms congressional oversight and our ability to help protect service members from future mishaps and accidents,” the lawmakers warned.
The lawmakers are also concerned that the Air Force may be increasing safety risk by “requiring some maintainers to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in order to receive information about crashes and mishaps.” These NDAs may undermine congressional oversight, accountability, and transparency necessary to address the ongoing safety issues with the aircraft.
Senator Warren has worked to protect servicemembers and sought answers about the safety of the V-22 Osprey:
- In July 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Representative Richard Neal (D-Mass.) wrote to DoD regarding deep concerns with the decision to resume flying the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft.
- In a January 2024 hearing, Senator Warren secured a commitment from the Pentagon to publicly release the testing office’s annual report, citing concerns about the Osprey’s safety.
- In December 2023, Senators Warren, Markey, and Representative Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), sent a letter to Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, requesting the Department of Defense examine the safety of the V-22 Osprey aircraft and its operation in the Air Force, Marine, Corps, and Navy.
- In a December 2023 hearing, Senator Warren called on the Air Force to seriously consider grounding the V-22 Osprey, after an Osprey crash in Japan killed eight servicemembers. Several hours after this request, the military announced it was grounding its entire Osprey fleet.
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