Army saw spike in deadly aviation accidents in year before DC plane crash disaster
The deadly collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter outside Washington, D.C. last Wednesday has brought attention to the Army’s aviation safety record, which saw its highest rate of flight mishaps in more than a decade. The Army’s aviation division experienced 17 class A mishaps in fiscal year 2024, which resulted in the death of nine soldiers and one civilian. These mishaps included accidents that either caused more than $2.5 million worth of damage or resulted in fatalities.
This spike in incidents marked a significant increase from the previous years, with only nine flight and one ground incident in 2023, and four flight and four ground mishaps in 2022. The Army’s report on the matter highlighted the need for improvements in safety protocols and emphasized the importance of avoiding a repeat of the tragic events that occurred in FY24. The report also revealed that the average flight experience of aviators had decreased by 300 hours per aviator since 2013, raising concerns about crew experience as a potential hazard.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision near Reagan National Airport was not the Army’s most accident-prone aircraft, as it was only involved in one major incident in 2024. The report also noted that nine incidents involved AH-64 Apaches, making them more accident-prone in comparison. The Navy and Marine Corps also experienced class A aviation mishaps, with the Navy reporting 11 incidents and the Marine Corps reporting six. The Air Force, which has more aviators than any other branch, reported 20 class A mishaps in FY24.
The Army attributed the spike in incidents to an “ineffective safety culture” and called for more recording and reviewing of flight footage with superiors to improve safety. Following the tragic events of FY24, the Army conducted a safety stand up in April 2024, which led to a decrease in the class A mishap rate for the remainder of the fiscal year. Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll has promised to emphasize a “culture of safety” and address the preventable nature of such incidents if confirmed.
The collision between the Black Hawk helicopter and the commercial jet from Wichita, Kansas, occurred during an annual proficiency training flight near Reagan National Airport. The Army has yet to comment on the incident, but the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining stringent safety protocols in military aviation operations. The aviation community must learn from these incidents to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
