Committee Unanimously Approves Language Establishing The Group

The House Armed Services Committee has approved language for the annual defense policy bill creating an independent national commission on aviation safety.

Defense News reports that the language was introduced by Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking member of the minority on the panel. It was supported by Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX)

The commission would be charged with reviewing military aviation mishap and physiological episodes, which have been on the rise in recent months. Thornberry in particular criticized statements made by the pentagon saying that the accident involving a Puerto Rico Air National Guard WC-130 that fatally injured nine was not indicative of a broader problem. "It’s disturbing to me that there are people in the Pentagon that even today say, ’Well, it’s not really a crisis. Each one of these [aviation mishaps] has its individual underlying causes,’" Thornberry said.

Thornberry pointed to a series of fatal accidents involving military aircraft this spring, as well as a deep dive by the Military Times of 5,500 aviation accidents recorded since 2013. That was the year sequestration became the law of the land.

The independent panel would be comprised of eight appointed members tasked with assessing "the rates of military aviation mishaps between fiscal years 2013 and 2018 compared to historic aviation mishap rates." The panel would be further charged with making an "assessment of the causes contributing to military aviation mishaps; and to make recommendations on the modifications, if any, of safety, training, maintenance, personnel, or other policies related to military aviation safety,” according to the amendment.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report