Austin News

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has spearheaded a bipartisan coalition of Texas legislators in addressing the recent surge in Army Aviation accidents. The group sent a bicameral letter to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, highlighting their concerns over the high number of mishaps, including a UH-72 Lakota helicopter crash in Rio Grande City, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of two National Guard Soldiers and one U.S. Border Patrol agent, while critically injuring another Guardsman.

The letter emphasizes the importance of congressional oversight to ensure safety and accountability within Army aviation operations and to prevent further loss of life. It requests detailed findings and recommendations from investigations into AH-64 Apache tail rotor blade issues and UH-60 Black Hawk mishaps from the past three years. Additionally, it seeks information on the Army's response to a 2018 report on military aviation mishaps, the impact of flying hour program reductions on accident rates, assessments of rotary wing pilot proficiency, and efforts to use artificial intelligence to reduce human error.

"As you know, Ft. Cavazos and Ft. Bliss are home to sizable Army Aviation contingents," the senators wrote. "My constituents have expressed concern about the recent accident trend. The ongoing maintenance issues in the Texas-based Attack battalions amplify this concern."

The letter was signed by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas-13), John Carter (R-Texas-31), Kay Granger (R-Texas-12), Michael McCaul (R-Texas-10), Roger Williams (R-Texas-25), Brian Babin (R-Texas-36), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas-28), Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas-34), Lance Gooden (R-Texas-5), Pat Fallon (R-Texas-4), Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22), Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas-8), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas-16), Marc Veasey (D-Texas-33), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas-24), Colin Allred (D-Texas-32), Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas-23), August Pfluger (R-Texas-11), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas-2), Randy Weber (R-Texas-14), Monica De La Cruz (R–Texas–15)), Chip Roy (( R–Texas–21)), Greg Casar (( D–Texas–35)), Jodey Arrington (( R–Texas –19)).

The full letter includes specific requests for information regarding various aspects related to these incidents:

1.The findings and related recommendations from investigations into AH–64 Apache tail rotor blade issues since January 2022.

2.Actions taken by the Army following an August 2018 GAO report on military aviation mishaps.

3.Findings from investigations into UH–60 Black Hawk major mishaps since 2022.

4.Assessments of annual flight hour requirements for rotary wing pilots.

5.The relationship between reduced flying hours per month and increased accident rates.

6.Current or planned efforts using artificial intelligence to mitigate human error risks.

Since FY 2023, there have been 22 aviation mishaps resulting in 24 fatalities within U.S. Army operations, making this period one of the deadliest in recent years due primarily to spatial disorientation mechanical failures,and human error according totheArmy