House Oversight Committee To Investigate Safety Of Osprey Aircraft

TOPSHOT - The United States' V-22 Osprey, a multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing, flies during a joint demonstration as part of the NATO Trident Juncture 2018 exercise in Byneset near Trondheim, Norway, October 30, 2018. Trident Juncture 2018, is a NATO-led military exercise held in Norway from 25 October to 7 November 2018. The exercise is the largest of its kind in Norway since the 1980s. Around 50,000 participants from NATO and partner countries, some 250 aircraft, 65 ships and up to 10,000 vehicles take part in the exercise. The main goal of Trident Juncture is allegedly to train the NATO Response Force and to test the alliance's defence capability. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images) — The United States’ V-22 Osprey, a multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing, flies during a joint demonstration as part of the NATO Trident Juncture 2018 exercise in Byneset near Trondheim, Norway, October 30, 2018. (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
2:35 PM – Thursday, December 21, 2023

The House Oversight Committee is calling on the Pentagon to provide more information about the safety and performance of the military’s V-22 Osprey aircraft.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday, Representative James Comer (R-Ky.) said the committee is investigating long-term problems over the aircrafts reliability.

“It is crucial for the safety of our servicemembers to ensure transparency, accountability, and a thorough understanding of the steps [the] DOD is taking to mitigate any further mechanical risk,” the letter read.

The investigation comes after eight service members were killed during a training exercise on November 29^th after an Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan.

Seven of the airmen’s bodies have since been recovered and the Air Force reported that preliminary findings point towards a mechanical error.

The V-22 Joint Program Office grounded the military’s entire Osprey fleet after the crash to renew concerns over safety and “mitigate risks.”

More than 60 service members and other passengers have died in Osprey crashes since 1992.

The committee said it’s alarmed that most fatalities happened during training exercises, not combat operations.

According to Comer, the American taxpayer has also heavily invested in the aircraft. The Department of Defense has purchased more than 450 Ospreys with each unit costing around $120 million.

The committee is requesting documents and information on aspects of the program’s safety and performance no later than January 4^th, 2024.

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