{"id":24617,"date":"2018-04-08T17:15:40","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T17:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/08\/air-force-aviation-accidents-reach-seven-year-high-as-low-level-mishaps-soar\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:38:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:38:38","slug":"air-force-aviation-accidents-reach-seven-year-high-as-low-level-mishaps-soar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/08\/air-force-aviation-accidents-reach-seven-year-high-as-low-level-mishaps-soar\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force aviation accidents reach seven-year high as low-level mishaps soar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force\u2019s overall aviation mishap rate has hit a seven-year high, fueled by a growing number of non-fatal \u201cClass C\u201d mishaps, which experts say is an ominous warning sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the major mishaps that result in deaths and cost millions in damages, known as \u201cClass A\u201d mishaps, are ticking downward for the Air Force, the fleet is reporting a rise in the less-severe accidents that cause more modest damage and injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/the-death-toll-for-rising-aviation-accidents-133-troops-killed-in-five-years\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MISHAPS.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The death toll for rising aviation accidents: 133 troops killed in five years<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Amid the latest spike in aviation deaths, a newly published Military Times Crash Database shows manned warplane accidents have jumped 39 percent since the 2013 budget cuts.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that may be a potential \u201ccanary in a coal mine,\u201d foreshadowing a future swelling of more serious mishaps, said Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s your [early] warning that there\u2019s a problem and you need to do something before something bad happens,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/06\/military-times-aviation-database\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Military Times Crash Database<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall Air Force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/the-death-toll-for-rising-aviation-accidents-133-troops-killed-in-five-years\/\" target=\"_blank\">mishaps rose<\/a> 16 percent between 2013 and 2017, the years following the congressional budget cuts known as sequestration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of that increase comes from rising Class C incidents, which include any incident that costs at least $50,000 and potentially up to $500,000 to fix, or leads to injuries serious enough to cause lost work days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-4-Air.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19648\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-4-Air.jpg.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-4-Air.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-4-Air.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-4-Air.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-4-Air.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of those mishaps involved the A-10 Thunderbolt II, several cargo aircraft and the F-16C Fighting Falcon, according to Air Force Times\u2019 analysis of data provided by the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military Times has compiled and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/06\/military-times-aviation-database\/\"> published online a database <\/a>of individual reports of all Class A through Class C mishaps that have occurred since fiscal year 2011. Across the military, accidents involving all of the Defense Department\u2019s warplanes \u2014manned fighter, bomber, helicopter tiltrotor and cargo aircraft \u2014 rose nearly 40 percent from fiscal years 2013 to 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/marine-corps-aviation-mishaps-on-the-rise-up-80-percent\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6363769881_20de259c45_o.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marine Corps aviation mishaps on the rise, up 80 percent<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Marines are still trying to recover from a loss of skilled maintainers and flight hours after 2013 budget cut.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At least 133 service members were killed in those fiscal year 2013-2017 mishaps, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/aviation-in-crisis\" target=_blank>data obtained<\/a> by Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By comparison, the Navy and Marine Corps\u2019 aviation fleet have seen far more severe increases in mishaps than the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent events have drawn new public attention to the issue. In the past three weeks, six more military aviation accidents have killed 16 pilots or crew, and destroyed six aircraft. That included the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/03\/28\/airman-killed-in-iraq-crash-receives-posthumous-medals-at-memorial-service\/\">seven airmen killed<\/a> on March 15 when their HH-60 Pave Hawk crashed in western Iraq during a routine transit flight. On April 4, there was another loss for the Air Force. An F-16 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/05\/air-force-identifies-thunderbirds-pilot-killed-in-f-16-crash\/\"> crashed <\/a>near Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, killing the pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-0-ALL-DoD.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-0-ALL-DoD.jpg.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-0-ALL-DoD.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-0-ALL-DoD.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-0-ALL-DoD.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-Chart-Service-0-ALL-DoD.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The swelling of Class C mishaps comes at a time when the Air Force has grown increasingly worried about the experience of its maintenance workforce and the readiness of its aircraft. The service has reduced its shortfall of maintainers that until recently topped 4,000 \u2014 largely caused by the budget-driven drawdown of 2014 \u2014 to a shortfall today of about 200, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that success is tempered by the fact that many newly hired maintainers are still inexperienced, and the career field lacks enough seasoned 5- and 7-level maintainers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/navys-spike-in-aviation-mishaps-is-the-militarys-worst-up-82-percent\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6772428461_2d79437223_o.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Navy\u2019s spike in aviation mishaps is the military\u2019s worst, up 82 percent<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Class C accidents were the primary driver of a significant rise in Super Hornet mishaps.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, mission-capable rates of aircraft continue to tick down year after year, and only seven out of every 10 aircraft are ready to fly at any given time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force has seen several maintenance-driven accidents that destroyed or heavily damaged aircraft in the past year. For example, an Air National Guard F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed near Washington last April after a depot maintainer forgot to include two parts when reassembling its engine. And in December, four E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems, or JSTARS, aircraft were damaged when a fifth JSTARS\u2019 engine failed on the ground and flung debris across the ramp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Class A and Class B mishaps have decreased since fiscal 2011, Class Cs have increased considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-F-16.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-F-16.jpg.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-F-16.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-F-16.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-F-16.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aviation-Mishaps-by-Airframe-F-16.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Class A mishaps result in a fatality or permanent disability, or at least $2 million in damages. Class Bs cause permanent partial disability or the hospitalization of three or more personnel, or damages between $500,000 to $2 million, Class Cs are mishaps that result in damages costing $50,000 to $500,000 or injuries leading to lost days from work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force recorded 602 Class C mishaps in 2011, which dropped down to 573 the following year. But they began ticking up in 2013 and reached 667 last year \u2015 a 16 percent increase over their 2012 low.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/some-rare-good-news-for-military-aviation-army-helicopter-accidents-on-the-decline\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DOD_chinook-landing-in-snow_cal0418.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Some (rare) good news for military aviation: Army helicopter accidents on the decline<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Army aviation&#039;s mishap rates are faring far better than the other services in the years following the 2013 Congressional budget cuts.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cargo aircraft \u2015 particularly the C-130H Hercules and the C-17A Globemaster \u2015 account for the bulk of those mishap increases. And of those, most mishaps stem from physical injuries when airmen are conducting maintenance or loading or unloading the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, the list of C-130H and C-17A mishaps over the past few years is filled with twisted ankles and knees, strained backs, broken fingers and feet, falls off ladders, slips, and concussions or lacerations from when airmen hit their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Air Force is concerned with any physical injury that occurs in the workplace. Whether it\u2019s on an airplane or on a sidewalk, wherever it is, we\u2019re always concerned about that,\u201d Col. William Culver, the Air Force\u2019s chief of aviation safety, said in a Feb. 2 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/03\/29\/air-force-pjs-killed-in-iraq-crash-honored-in-memorial-service\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Posch-Enis-memorial-small.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force PJs killed in Iraq crash honored in memorial service<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Air Force on Tuesday held a memorial service to honor two Reserve pararescuemen who died in a helicopter crash in Iraq earlier this month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But while Air Mobility Command is aware of the increase in Class C mishaps, Culver said he doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s a drastic increase, when compared with historical trends of mishaps on transport planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When mishaps of this kind occur, Culver said the Air Force Safety Center works with AMC to look over what went wrong and make sure any hazards identified have recommendations to fix them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when it comes to airmen taking bad steps off of ladders and wrenching knees, or similar injuries, Culver said that there\u2019s only so much that can be done to prevent them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of these, you can do everything to prevent them, and accidents are still going to occur,\u201d Culver said. \u201cWe take every one of these seriously, because our airmen are that important to us, and we find ways to try to mitigate that risk. While the numbers are probably higher than we want them to be, they\u2019re at a level that I would say is fairly average. We\u2019re working hard to get that to zero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Culver said that when the safety center notices an uptick in a particular type of mishap, such as loadmasters twisting an ankle on the flightline, it sends a message out to the field urging units to be careful. But by and large, it\u2019s up to each major command\u2019s leadership to carry out the recommended safety changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when a MAJCOM sees an uptick in a particular type of physical injury, they could take steps such as holding additional safety briefings to make sure, for example, loadmasters are aware of proper procedures when moving pallets of cargo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Culver said the Air Force Safety Center is looking at recommending head protection, called \u201cbump caps,\u201d similar to what the Navy has to reduce head injuries. Bump caps can sometimes resemble baseball hats, but have a shell to protect the head. Culver said the Air Force would need hearing protection in its bump caps, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force has never used bump caps because its airmen don\u2019t usually work in spaces as cramped and confined as their Navy counterparts do. But because the safety center has noticed an increase in head injuries, it\u2019s trying to find the best way to get bump caps to airmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m an F-16 guy by trade,\u201d Culver said. \u201cYou get down, looking in some of these panels, and get down inside the gear, it\u2019s a real small area. So anything we can do to try to protect [airmen], outside of education, is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force also could bring more medical personnel on-site to quickly provide first aid for on-the-job injuries, Culver said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the Air Force could take a look at how it builds hangars and has airmen work around airplanes to figure out ways to better prevent slips and falls, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"619\" height=\"282\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mishapdeinitions.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-46591\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mishapdeinitions.JPG.jpg 619w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mishapdeinitions.JPG.jpg?resize=300,137 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we see a trend out there, we can push it out \u2014 \u2018Hey, what\u2019s up with all the slipping going on?\u2019 \u201d Culver said. \u201cThen they will go, \u2019Shoot, we don\u2019t have the no-slip floors.\u2019 \u201d (Some bases still have hangar floors painted with an older, more slippery paint, and have not replaced it with a new paint that has more traction.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some units have also put no-slip tape on aircraft or hangar structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnything like that that can keep our airmen safe, we push it out so commanders can hear about it and potentially implement it,\u201d Culver said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Class C mishaps in the A-10 Warthog dropped from 32 in 2015 to 23 in 2016. But in 2017, they spiked up to 43. Much of the increase stemmed from gun-related malfunctions. There were three gun-related mishaps on the A-10 in 2015, two in 2016, but 13 in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, last February at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, dummy rounds in the gun of an A-10 broke during an ops check, which damaged the gun. And last August, an Air National Guard A-10 at the Boise Air Terminal in Idaho had its 30mm cannon malfunction during a strafing pass, which damaged the gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Culver said investigation boards have examined all these malfunctions, but are still trying to figure out what caused the increase in gun-related mishaps. The safety center alerted the A-10 Joint Program Office about the problem, and they\u2019re working together to try to find the root cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s what safety is about: Identifying those trends that are out there, so that the right people can come in and fix it,\u201d Culver said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when it comes to the increase in F-16 Class C mishaps \u2015 which went up from 58 in 2015 to 62 in 2016, and to to 70 in 2017, or a 20 percent increase in two years \u2015 Culver says he doesn\u2019t see a smoking gun. It may be that rising costs and inflation mean that minor mishaps that previously would have been categorized as Class D mishaps \u2015 costing between $20,000 and $50,000 apiece \u2015 are getting nudged over the $50,000 threshold into Class C territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Culver also said that improved safety and maintenance could also mean that what once would have been a extremely serious Class A or B mishap in the F-16 is now a minor Class C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m ecstatic that our Class A and B rates are as low as they are,\u201d Culver said. \u201cWhat could have been an A or a B yesterday is now a C. That\u2019s a great news story for me. I\u2019ll take all the Cs I can get if it means we\u2019ve saved an airplane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the aging of the F-16 \u2015 the average F-16C was 25 years old in fiscal 2016 \u2015 is also a factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs things get older, it costs more to fix them,\u201d Culver said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Total mishaps are on the rise in the Air Force, but the service is faring better than the Navy and Marine 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