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The Air Force saw fewer major mishaps last fiscal year, avoiding costly accidents that cause loss of life or aircraft.
The service reported 63 of the most severe kinds of aviation accidents, down from 71 the year before, according to Air Force Times. That included 21 Class A incidents down from 30 the year before.
Class A mishaps are the most serious accidents. They cause death or permanent and total disability, destroy aircraft, or incur at least $2.5 million in damages. On average, the Air Force had average 27 Class A incidents over the past five years.
At least one such accident last year involved a Guardsman. Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones died after his F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed in Michigan on Dec. 8, 2020.
Jones, 37, was a member of Wisconsin’s 115th Fighter Wing.
According to reports, Jones lost his bearings in flight and could not reorient himself after trying to right the plane when it lost navigational data. Other factors in the crash included low light and poor weather conditions.
In addition to Jones, three other pilots were also killed in Air Force accidents between Oct. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021, including one contractor pilot. The Air Force suffered seven fatal crashes in fiscal 2020.
The accident rate for manned aircraft dropped to its lowest rate since 2014, with .94 accidents per 100,000 flying hours, according to Air Force Times, while the rate for unmanned aircraft reached its highest rate since 2017, with 1.96 accidents per 100,000 flying hours.
In all, eight aircraft were destroyed, including five unmanned aircraft.
The drop in accidents came as pilots spent less time in the air as compared to previous years, driven in part by the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The service flew about 1.24 million flying hours in 2021, down from 1.33 million in fiscal 2020.
