Sen. Cruz, Colleagues Address Recent Surge of Army Aviation Class A Mishaps to Prevent Further Loss of Life
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) led a bipartisan coalition of Texas legislators in sending a bicameral letter to Secretary of the Army Wormuth expressing concern about the high number of recent Army Aviation accidents. One of the deadliest of those accidents occurred in Rio Grande City, Texas where a UH-72 Lakota helicopter crash killed two National Guard Soldiers, one U.S. Border Patrol agent, and critically injured another Guardsman. Congressional oversight is crucial to ensuring the safety and accountability of Army aviation operations and decreasing the current trend of accidents to prevent further loss of life.
The letter requests detailed findings and recommendations from Army investigations into both AH-64 Apache tail rotor blade issues and UH-60 Black Hawk mishaps from the past three years. Additionally, it inquires about the Army's efforts in response to a 2018 report on military aviation mishaps, the impact of flying hour program reductions on mishap rates, assessments of rotary wing pilot proficiency, and current or planned Army efforts to use artificial intelligence to mitigate the risk of human error in the Army’s rotary-wing fleets.
In the letter, the senators wrote, “As you know, Ft. Cavazos and Ft. Bliss are home to sizable Army Aviation contingents, and my constituents have expressed concern about the recent accident trend. The ongoing maintenance issues in the Texas-based Attack battalions amplifies this concern.
“Our nation relies on the effectiveness of the Army’s aviation formations, and our Soldiers’ safety depends on the reliability of our aviation platforms.”
Sen. Cruz was joined by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas-13), John Carter (R-Texas-31), Kay Granger (R-Texas-12), Michael McCaul (R-Texas-10), Roger Williams (R-Texas-25), Brian Babin (R-Texas-36), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas-28), Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas-34), Lance Gooden (R-Texas-5), Pat Fallon (R-Texas-4), Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22), Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas-8), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas-16), Marc Veasey (D-Texas-33), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas-24), Colin Allred (D-Texas-32), Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas-23), August Pfluger (R-Texas-11), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas-2), Randy Weber (R-Texas-14), Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas-15), Chip Roy (R-Texas-21), Greg Casar (D-Texas-35), and Jodey Arrington (R-Texas-19) in signing the letter.
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Secretary Wormuth:
We write to express concern about the high number of Class A accidents and resulting casualties within the Army aviation community over the last year across multiple platforms, including the deadly UH-72 Lakota helicopter crash in Rio Grande City, Texas and several incidents involving the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. This alarming trend raises significant questions about the safety and effectiveness of Army rotary-wing aviation operations.
As you know, Ft. Cavazos and Ft. Bliss are home to sizable Army Aviation contingents, and my constituents have expressed concern about the recent accident trend. The ongoing maintenance issues in the Texas-based Attack battalions amplifies this concern.
Our nation relies on the effectiveness of the Army’s aviation formations, and our Soldiers’ safety depends on the reliability of our aviation platforms. To help us better understand the training, maintenance, and materiel challenges that may have contributed to these accidents, please provide the following no later than August 1, 2024:
1.The findings and related recommendations of any investigations related to the AH-64 Apache’s tail rotor blade conducted from January 2022 to present.
2.The steps the Army has taken in response to the August 15, 2018 GAO report entitled “Military Aviation Mishaps: DOD Needs to Improve Its Approach for Collecting and Analyzing Data to Manage Risks” (GAO-18-586R) and any funding required to further those steps.
3.The findings and related recommendations of any investigations related to the elevated number of UH-60 Black Hawk major mishaps from 2022 to present.
4.The findings and related recommendations from any Army studies assessing annual flight hour requirements for, and proficiency of, Army rotary wing pilots.
5.An assessment of the relationship between flying hour program reductions, such as the decline from 10.6 per month in FY23 to 8 per month in FY25, and the increased rate of major mishaps.
6. Any current or planned Army efforts to leverage artificial intelligence capabilities to mitigate the risk of rotary-wing human error in the enduring and future vertical lift fleets.
Sincerely,
/X/
BACKGROUND
Since FY 2023, the U.S. Army has experienced 22 aviation mishaps resulting in 24 fatalities, putting this period on track to be one of the deadliest in recent years. According to the Army, the accidents were primarily caused by spatial disorientation, mechanical failures, and human error.
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