Overview
- Defense Department figures show the Class A mishap rate rose from 1.30 to 2.02 per 100,000 flight hours from 2020 to 2024, with $9.4 billion in losses, 90 deaths, and 89 aircraft destroyed.
- The Marine Corps posted the largest increase at roughly 194%, and platforms with notable spikes include the V-22 Osprey, the Apache helicopter, and the C-130 transport.
- The Pentagon provided the data to Congress and to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and the Associated Press independently reviewed the figures.
- Warren secured FY26 NDAA language directing the Joint Safety Council to send Congress executive summaries of safety investigations and corrective actions, and she requested updated data and a DoD plan by December 2, 2025.
- Navy records show eight Class A aviation mishaps in 2024 and 14 so far in 2025, with ongoing probes that include findings from the January Black Hawk–airliner collision over Washington, D.C.