Congressional investigators say their six-month investigation into crashes of the military’s Osprey aircraft has been stymied by Pentagon officials who refuse to release critical safety investigation reports.
"It is imperative that [the Defense Department] provide this information to understand the root causes of these deadly crashes and ensure U.S. servicemen and women who enter these aircrafts are safe," said Rep. Glenn Grothman, chair of the national security subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.
But Pentagon officials are standing firm in their refusal to release the safety reports, saying at a hearing of the subcommittee on Wednesday morning that they believe they are able to learn more in their investigation if they can promise confidentiality to those who speak to the safety boards.
The subcommittee launched its inquiry after 20 service members died in four separate Osprey crashes in less than two years, leaving grief-stricken families demanding answers about why the twin-rotor aircraft has had so many accidents.
Three Pentagon officials faced questions from subcommittee members during Wednesday morning's hearing, which was attended by family members of crash victims.
In joint testimony submitted ahead of the hearing, Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, commander of Naval Air Systems Command, and Gary Kurtz, program executive officer for the Air, Anti-submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission Programs at the Pentagon, said that the rate of serious mishaps for the Osprey has the “full attention and support of Navy, USMC and USAF leadership.” They wrote that they are focused on “addressing this issue with a clear understanding that there is much work still to be done.”
On Wednesday, however, Chebi told committee members the Pentagon has not eliminated the risk with the Osprey’s clutch that led to the crash in June 2022. He said the military is working on a clutch redesign and plan to have it done in 2025.
Members of the committee expressed frustration, saying the Defense Department must provide safety reports if it wants to keep asking for money to finance the aircraft.
Chebi said the military is doing a comprehensive review of the Osprey program that will not be done for another six to nine months.
“Another Osprey goes down this program is done,” said Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-Mass., who asked that the military ground the aircraft until the clutch is redesigned. “We have already had too much carnage I don’t believe this aircraft is safe so it’s crazy to put more of our young men and women at risk.”
Members of Congress suggested that there are other aircraft that could be used instead. “We won’t get there as fast but we will get there alive,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.
Michelle and Brett Strickland of New Mexico, who lost their son Lance Cpl. Evan Strickland in a Marine Osprey crash in California in June 2022, flew to Washington overnight to attend the hearing.
“I’d say we are hopeful that this is the beginning of true oversight of the problems that have plagued the Osprey platform over the years and we hope it will lead to safety for those who use it in the future,” Brett Strickland said.
In prepared testimony, the Stricklands wrote that the circumstances surrounding the death of their son and four others in the 2022 crash "are deeply alarming and upsetting because the root cause of the mechanical failure still remains unresolved!!! ... Please honor these men by ensuring their legacy includes meaningful change and accountability."
The V-22 Osprey
The U.S. military has flown the V-22 Osprey, which can rise vertically like a helicopter and fly horizontally like a plane, since 1989. From 1989 to 2017, seven accidents killed 41 service members and other passengers.
From 2018 to 2021, there were no fatal crashes. In recent years, however, there has been a rise in Osprey Class A mishaps.
Class A mishaps, meaning incidents that result in a permanent disability to a service member, death or at least $2.5 million in damage to the aircraft, are the most serious category of military accidents.
In 2020 and 2021, there were two Class A mishaps, but no fatalities. In 2022 and 2023, however, there were 11 Class A mishaps, four of them fatal, according to military data reviewed by NBC News.
Said Grothman in prepared testimony, “These incidents have earned the Osprey the troubling nickname ‘widow maker,’ highlighting the grave concerns surrounding its safety and reliability.”
Fatal incidents are followed by two investigations, a safety investigation board and a military accident investigation.
The Safety Investigation Board investigates the root cause of the crash and makes recommendations to prevent future accidents. The board issues a safety report.
Military accident investigations into fatal crashes are posted online and available through Freedom of Information requests.
Safety Investigation Board reports historically are not released, according to a former military crash investigator.
The subcommittee says it was denied access to the Safety Investigation Board reports about the Osprey crashes because Pentagon officials said that the reports are privileged.
"We have offered to review these safety reports in a secure environment," said Grothman, "yet the committee has been stonewalled and the department has provided no legal justification for withholding this information from lawful Congressional oversight."
House Oversight Committee staff say that, so far, what they have received from the Pentagon amounts to what is already publicly known about the Osprey’s mishaps.
The Pentagon’s V-22 Joint Program Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the committee’s assertions.
The latest Osprey crash in November 2023 in Japan led to the grounding of all 386 operational Osprey aircraft across the Navy, Air Force and Marines. The grounding lasted from December to March, after which the military determined the aircraft was safe for a limited return to flight. Since the grounding was lifted, the aircraft has flown 7,000 hours, according to testimony from Pentagon officials. Ospreys will not be fully operational until mid-2025, according to the testimony.
Kurtz and Chebi noted that the Safety Investigation Board that investigated the Japan crash determined that the cause of the crash was a “catastrophic aircraft mechanical failure that had never been seen before in the V-22 fleet.”
NBC News reported in February that the Japan investigation was focused on the aircraft’s propeller rotor gearbox.
The investigation into the Japan crash and an investigation into an August crash in Australia are ongoing.
Four families who lost loved ones in the June 2022 crash, including the Stricklands, have filed a lawsuit against Osprey manufacturers Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Bell-Textron demanding answers about problems with the aircraft.
“We are pleased that Congress and members of this Committee are focusing much needed attention on the safety of our service members who fly and rely upon the V-22 Osprey,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Timothy Loranger, a Marine veteran, pilot and former military aircraft mechanic. “We’re hopeful that this hearing will lead to a call for increased transparency from the manufacturers about historical issues and current efforts to identify and eliminate the root cause of recent mishaps. Osprey crews and their families deserve assurances that their beloved aircraft are safe and airworthy.”