Has there been an unusually high number of major military aircraft accidents – in the air or on the ground – thus far during 2025? Some very high profile incidents have attracted national media attention and may give the impression that military aviation accident numbers are on the rise. But, what accidents have occurred thus far in 2025, and how do the numbers compare to previous years? We are answering all of these questions below.
How Does the Military Define Aviation Accidents?
The Department of Defense sorts aircraft accidents into four classes ranging from the most severe, Class A, to the least severe, Class D.
Class A
A Class A mishap is the most severe category for accidental events within the U.S. military, defined by a fatality, permanent total disability, or direct costs of $2 million or more for the USAF and $2.5 million for the US Army and US Navy.
This classification is to categorize events that cause significant damage to Department of Defense (DoD) property, especially aircraft, or result in severe injuries and/or death.
Class B
A Class B aviation mishap is a severe event, generally in a military context, resulting in $600,000 or more but less than $2,500,000 in total property damage, or a permanent partial disability to a person, or inpatient hospitalization of three or more personnel for treatment, excluding observation or administrative care.
This classification is a way to categorize mishaps based on their severity for reporting and investigation purposes.
Class C & D
Class C and Class D mishaps are based on property damage and injury severity, with Class C involving significant property damage ($60,000-$600,000) or nonfatal injuries causing days away from work.
Class D involves lower property damage ($25,000-$60,000) or injuries requiring restricted work, job transfer, or medical treatment beyond first aid.
For the purpose of this article, we will only look at Class A and B mishaps that have occurred since the beginning of 2025.
Major Military Aviation Accidents in 2025
January 28, 2025, USAF F-35A
Eielson AFB, Alaska
Pacific Air Forces released its Accident Investigation Board report on August 26, 2025 for an F-35A Lightning II mishap that occurred on January 28, 2025, at Eielson Air Force Base.
The investigation determined the aircraft’s nose landing gear did not retract properly due to hydraulic fluid contaminated with water freezing. After running multiple checklists and a conference call with engineers, the pilot’s attempts to center the nose landing gear failed.
During those attempts, ice formed inside the main landing gear struts, and they did not fully extend causing all valid Weight on Wheels sensors to indicate the aircraft was on the ground.
The aircraft transitioned to “on ground” flight control law, despite being airborne, and became uncontrollable. The pilot successfully ejected, and emergency responders were at the scene within a minute.
The pilot suffered minor injuries related to the ejection. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact with a total loss valued at $196.5 million. The board concluded the mishap was caused by hydraulic fluid contaminated by water that froze in the nose landing gear and main landing gear struts.
January 29, 2025, US Army UH-60L
Reagan National Airport, Washington, DC
According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report, a Sikorsky UH-60L (operated by the US Army) and a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries CRJ700 (operated by PSA Airlines) collided in flight approximately a half-mile southeast of Reagan National Airport and impacted the Potomac River in southwest Washington, DC.
The two pilots, two flight attendants, and 60 passengers aboard the airplane and all three crew members aboard the helicopter were fatally injured. Both aircraft were destroyed as a result of the accident. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of DCA at the time of the accident.
During her closing comments during a preliminary meeting of the NTSB on this incident, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said that it appeared as though the UH-60L was 78 feet above the prescribed ceiling of 200 feet for this area when it collided with the commercial aircraft. This information is tentative pending finalization of the NTSB official report.
As a result of its preliminary report, the NTSB recommended to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urgent operational changes to the procedures employed by helicopters operating in the vicinity of Reagan National Airport. The NTSB’s final report is pending.
February 12, 2025, USN EF-18G
San Diego Bay, California
US Navy Boeing EA-18G Growler crashed in the San Diego Bay near NAS North Island, reportedly during a go around. The crew ejected and survived the incident with minor injuries. Thick fog was present at the time.
The Navy subsequently recovered and secured the aircraft. Now, a US Navy investigation into the incident is ongoing. On February 20, 2025, the NTSB issued a preliminary update stating that:
- The investigation is focusing on mechanical performance data and weather conditions at the time of the crash.
- No definitive cause has been determined yet, and further analysis of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recordings is underway.
- The NTSB is collaborating with naval authorities to ensure all aspects of the incident are thoroughly examined.
March 4, 2025, USAF C-17
Perot Field Forth Worth Alliance Airport, Texas
Two Bombardier Challenger business jets were pushed into a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III by strong winds when a tornado touched down in the area.
The USAF’s 445th Airlift Wing is still composing its damage estimates and said that the incident is still being investigated.
An airport spokesperson confirmed that there were no injuries.
April 28, 2025, USN F/A-18E
USS Truman, Red Sea, Central Command AOR
An F/A-18 Super Hornet valued at $60 million assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier fell overboard into the Red Sea while being towed in the hangar bay.
The incident resulted in one minor injury and was attributed to either human error, mechanical malfunction, or a sudden carrier maneuver to avoid Houthi fire.
A U.S. official confirmed that initial reports indicated the Truman made a hard turn to evade Houthi fire, which primarily contributed to the fighter jet falling overboard.
The jet and the towing tractor sank to the bottom of the Red Sea, with recovery efforts deemed unlikely.
May 6, 2025, USN F/A-18E
USS Truman, Red Sea, Central Command AOR
One week later, a Navy F/A-18F assigned to the Truman went overboard into the Red Sea after an arrestment system failure during a night landing attempt.
Both the pilot and the weapons systems officer (WSO) safely ejected and were rescued by a helicopter with only minor injuries, but the aircraft was lost.
This incident marked the second Super Hornet lost from the Truman in just over a week and the third in less than one year.
June 11, 2025, US Army AH-64
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
An Army aviator was killed and his AH-64 Apache helicopter lost while conducting a routine training mission near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Another pilot sustained minor injuries when the aircraft went down. The Army has yet to release its investigation report on this incident.
July 8, 2025, USAF KC-46 Pegasus
Over Atlantic Ocean Off the Coast of Virginia
A Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft lost its refueling boom during an aerial refueling exercise with a flight of F-22 Raptors. A subsequent Air Force investigation confirmed a "nozzle binding" event occurred, which damaged the refueling boom.
The incident happened over the Atlantic Ocean, off the eastern coast of the United States. The crew was unharmed and landed safely at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina. The F-22s were not damaged.
The USAF is still investigating the cause of the boom failure.
July 30, 2025, USN F-35C
NAS Lemoore, California
A US Navy F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft crashed during a training flight near Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, but the pilot ejected safely and was uninjured.
The incident, which occurred around 6:30 p.m. local time, resulted in no additional injuries and a minor brush fire that was quickly extinguished.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. The US Navy continues to investigate the incident.
It marked the second F-35 incident of 2025, following the USAF F-35A crash in Alaska in January.
August 20, 2025, USN F/A-18E
Atlantic Ocean Off the Coast of Virginia
At approximately 9:53 a.m. EDT, a pilot ejected from an F/A-18E Super Hornet while operating off the coast of Virginia during a routine training flight.
Multiple search and rescue assets were deployed and quickly arrived on scene. The pilot was rescued at approximately 11:21 a.m. EDT and was transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation.
The F/A-18E remains in the water where it crashed as the Navy assesses whether it can be recovered. The cause of the mishap is under investigation by the Navy.
How Does This Year Compare to Previous Years?
In order to provide the most consistent assessment of annual aviation mishaps, it’s best to break them down by service component.
DoD Class-A aviation mishaps for specific recent years are available in reports from service safety centers. It’s also important to note that the DoD reports its annual mishaps by fiscal year and not calendar year.
Therefore, FY25 is about one month away from ending.
US Army
US Army Class-A flight mishaps in 2024 rose considerably compared to prior years. In FY24, the Army recorded 15 flight mishaps and two ground mishaps, a significant increase from 2023's nine flight and one ground mishaps.
- FY24: 15 Class A flight mishaps, 2 Class A ground mishaps. This was the highest number of flight mishaps since 2014.
- FY23: 9 Class A flight mishaps, 1 Class A ground mishap.
- FY22: 4 Class A flight mishaps, 4 Class A ground mishaps.
The majority of FY24 Army Class A flight mishaps were attributed to human error, particularly in the AH-64 Apache fleet.
Thus far in FY25, the US Army has reported four Class-A mishaps. If it can avoid further mishaps in September, it will record a significantly safer flying record in the current fiscal year.
US Air Force
According to Air Force Safety Center statistics, between 2015 and 2024, the USAF averaged about 15 Class-A mishaps for manned aircraft and just over seven Class-A mishaps for unmanned aircraft per year.
Thus far in FY25, the USAF is far below that average and has only reported three unmanned aircraft Class-A mishaps in the current fiscal year.
AF Safety Center Mishap Summary Carts from December 2024 can be found here.
US Navy
According to the Department of the Navy, the Navy has reported 12 Class-A manned aviation Class-A mishaps so far in FY25.
This number is higher than the nine (one unmanned) and seven recorded in FY24 and FY23 respectively. Between FY15 and FY25, the Navy averaged slightly less than 10 Class-A aviation mishaps per year.
US Navy Aviation Mishap Summary Charts through FY24 can be found here.
Is This Year Worse Than Previous Years?
The short answer is no. One must always consider that aviation – particularly military aviation – is an inherently risky business. Military aviators and the people who build and maintain the aircraft go to great lengths to minimize all potential safety risks. However, it’s impossible to eliminate all risk from this endeavor.
One of the reasons this year may seem worse than previous years for military aviation could be the high profile and publicity generated by some of these mishaps.
The collision between the US Army UH-60L Blackhawk and commercial airliner near Reagan National Airport dominated headlines for a week, particularly when President Trump’s administration suggested that “wokeness” may have been a contributing factor.
In addition, aviation mishaps that occur during combat operations will always attract more media attention than those that occur during routine training sorties. The two F/A-18E losses in the Red Sea within one week set off alarm bells. No one was more concerned than the Navy leadership itself who immediately called for a safety stand down in order to review their procedures.
This is how military aviation works. Incidents and accidents, unfortunately, will happen. Investigations will subsequently be conducted and, as a result, improvements will be made to equipment, training and/or procedures to try and further minimize the risk of that event happening again.
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