Identifying Correlations between Aviation Mishaps and Attrition of Aviation Maintenance Personnel in the Armed Forces (Phase II)
Abstract
Congress formed the National Commission on Military Aviation Safety (NCMAS) to investigate a purported increase in aviation mishaps. To aid in that investigation, NCMAS collaborated with The Research Analysis Center Monterey and the Naval Postgraduate School to examine the numbers of military aviation mishaps, and to determine whether there is a correlation between the number of aviation maintenance personnel and accident rates, between fiscal years 2010 and 2019. For two of the four services, the Army and Air Force, there was no evidence of an increase in overall mishap numbers either in total, or by accident class during the period under investigation, although both saw decreases in the number of maintenance personnel. The research team also noted that the provided data from either service did not specify flight hours, platforms, carrier operations, or other possible factors that would allow the team to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the determinants of mishaps. There was an increase in mishaps that occurred in the Navy over the period. Although personnel numbers temporarily decreased, they did begin to return to levels seen at the beginning of the period. There was also an increase in mishaps in the Marine Corps during the period and simultaneously a loss in personnel of approximately the same magnitude as the Air Forces. The mishaps were roughly evenly distributed between fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft across all platforms. The research team was not able to find a reason for the increase in accidents.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1127656
Entities
People
- Samuel E. Buttrey
- Ta'lena Fletcher