Warren, Markey, Neal: Decision to Resume V-22 Osprey Flights “Premature”
The lawmakers demand answers about the V-22’s recent crashes and transparency about aircraft safety.
“Allowing the Department to take a “crawl-walk-run” approach… to bring the V-22 back into service is a misguided approach to safety.”
Boston, MA – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Representative Richard Neal (D-Mass.) wrote to the Department of Defense (DoD) regarding deep concerns with the decision to resume flying the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey (Osprey) aircraft. The Osprey has a troubling safety record, having killed 64 servicemembers and injured 93 since it was first introduced in 2007, including Massachusetts natives Captain Ross Reynolds and Staff Sergeant Jacob Galliher. Following a November 2023 crash in southwestern Japan that killed all eight airmen onboard, the aircraft was grounded across all branches of the military.
In March 2024, DoD announced the resumption of Osprey flights, with restrictions on the aircraft’s capabilities, limiting flights to just 30 minutes per use, and requiring more frequent part replacements. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command predicts that a decision on the Osprey’s safety and ability to return to unrestricted flight operations will not be made until mid-2025. In the meantime, the Osprey will undergo a comprehensive investigation into the training, maintenance, and operations of the aircraft.
The leading theory for many of the accidents centers around the malfunctioning of the clutch, which damages key components and lurches the aircraft in one direction or another creating a dangerous situation for the crew and passengers.
Military training accidents have been far too prevalent. In 2018, amid concerns over high-risk military aircraft mishap rates, Congress created the National Commission on Military Aviation Safety. The Commission’s 2020 report found that “from 2013 to 2018, over 6,000 accidents killed 198 servicemembers, destroyed 157 aircraft, and cost $9.4 billion,” and recommended the Pentagon create a joint safety council to address the dismal track record.
It is unclear, however, how much impact this Council is having. Earlier this year the Army’s aviation mishap rates were “more than double the highest rate of any fiscal year in more than a decade.” Additionally, the most recent Joint Safety Council report to Congress stated that “(b)y the end of (fiscal year) 2023, the Department reported 40 fatalities and 33 Class ‘A’ mishaps that are above historical five-year averages.”
“The Department of Defense should be making servicemember’s safety a top priority. That means grounding the V-22 until the root cause of the aircraft’s many accidents is identified and permanent fixes are put into place,” said the lawmakers.
The lawmakers are requesting answers about the Osprey’s full review, Bell Textron Inc. 's and Boeing Co.’s roles in that review, the aircraft’s role in major DoD strategies, and details on Class A aircraft mishaps by August 1, 2024.
Senator Warren has worked to protect servicemembers and sought answers about the safety of the V-22 Osprey:
- 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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