House lawmakers want a safety report about the V-22 Osprey to be included in the annual defense appropriations bill after several deadly crashes killed troops and raised questions about the aircraft’s continued use by the military.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., wrote a letter to the leadership of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on Friday, asking for language to be added to the fiscal 2026 appropriations bill that would shed more light on historic mechanical failures with the aircraft.
“These servicemembers are heroes, and their legacy should reflect their decorated careers, bravery and service to this nation,” the letter says. “There is no question that our service members deserve better than to be protecting our country in an aircraft with known mechanical issues.”
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Emmer and Grothman’s letter follows a deadly Air Force Special Operations Command Osprey crash in November 2023 in Japan that killed eight airmen during a training mission. Military.com exclusively reported last year, after reviewing privileged safety information, that the crash was caused by issues in the tilt-rotor aircraft’s gearbox — specifically a fractured single high-speed planetary pinion gear.
That internal Safety Investigation Board report detailed that other failures in the gearbox were first flagged back in 2013, a decade prior to the deadly crash, and concerns were raised at the Pentagon. Additionally, the company that made the part that failed has been plagued with a history of manufacturing issues.
Emmer and Grothman’s letter cited Military.com’s past reporting and specifically asks for language to be included that will examine past safety reports that probed failures, including that gear from the Japan crash.
The letter asks the defense appropriator subcommittee to request “a report that includes the results of any safety investigation pertaining to any crash of the CV-22 Osprey since the introduction of the aircraft or other mishap involving the failure of the single high-speed planetary pinion gear.”
The language would require the defense secretary to submit the safety information within 30 days of the passage of the appropriations bill.
Jason Gagnon, a spokesperson for Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the chair of the defense appropriations subcommittee, said the congressman would be working with other lawmakers on Osprey safety.
“Chairman Calvert looks forward to working with Majority Whip Emmer and other colleagues on this issue,” Gagnon said in an emailed statement. “The safety of our service members remains one of the top priorities of the Defense Subcommittee.”
Notably, almost a year ago, Grothman led a House Committee on Oversight and Reform subcommittee hearing into the safety record of the V-22 Osprey. Military.com reported earlier this month that the investigation had stalled with the Republican-led committee, which angered Gold Star families who lost loved ones in the crash and are still hoping for answers.
“I’m beyond disappointed, to say the least, that these oversight efforts seem to have stalled or disappeared,” Amber Sax, the wife of John Sax, a Marine Corps pilot who died in a 2022 Osprey crash, told Military.com earlier this month.
Grothman blamed the previous administration for a lack of transparency. He signed the letter alongside Emmer, calling for safety reports two weeks after Military.com’s reporting pointing out the lack of progress.
Air Force Special Operations Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Rebecca Heyse told Military.com in an emailed statement that they “continue to welcome congressional interest and oversight” on the Osprey program.
“We maintain close coordination with the V-22 Joint Program Office to ensure resourcing and funding are prioritized to maximize readiness and safety of the CV-22, like we do for all our aircraft,” Heyse said.
Related: Osprey Safety Investigation Stalls in Congress, Angering Gold Star Families
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