Delay in Pentagon Sharing Osprey Crash Data Sparks Threats from House Oversight Committee

A House oversight committee alleges it has not received key investigative documents from the Defense Department about V-22 Osprey crashes and is threatening to take action if it doesn't receive the information by later this month.

The Pentagon has not provided a comprehensive list and all safety investigation reports of every class-A Osprey mishap from 1991 to the present, according to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

The committee began probing mishaps and crashes involving the Osprey in the wake of an Air Force CV-22 crash off the coast of Japan in November that killed eight airmen. During the monthslong investigation started in December, lawmakers claim the Pentagon has not been fully forthcoming with the requested information.

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In a Tuesday letter addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Glenn Grothman, R-Wis. -- the chairman of the oversight committee and the chairman of the subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs, respectively -- said they have "encountered significant delays and hurdles" and may take more aggressive measures if they don't get a response soon.

"DoD must be transparent with Congress and the American people to show that the Osprey program is safe and that it will bring significant advantages to combat operations," the letter states. "If DoD continues to fail to produce the requested documents by July 30, 2024, the committee will consider additional measures, including use of the compulsory process, to gain compliance and obtain this critical material."

The oversight committee's letter comes on the heels of the subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs hearing last month about Osprey safety. Navy and defense officials present provided little clarity or closure on the cause of recent deadly mishaps, leaving families of service members who lost loved ones in the aircraft with few answers.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Tuesday that the Defense Department has provided documents as well as officials for briefings and hearings, but will still work to give the committee the information being sought.

"We have worked very hard to accommodate the House Oversight Committee's requests. We've provided more than 3,500 pages of documents," Ryder said. "All that to say, we will continue to work with the committee to accommodate that request."

The oversight committee's letter mentions that "Osprey-related crashes have killed more than 60 service members since 1992," the most recent being the Air Force's Nov. 29 crash off the southern coast of Japan.

Following that crash, the services that fly the Osprey -- the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy -- all grounded their variants of the tilt-rotor aircraft. That stand-down was lifted in March, but the cause behind the crash was not disclosed.

Last month, Military.com reported that Air Force Special Operations Command is analyzing its use of the aircraft and could change the size of its CV-22 pilot and aircrew fleets, and some could be trained to fly other aircraft in the future.

-- Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

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