Mange militære flyulykker i USA - Curt Lewis

Military aircraft accidents costing lives, billions of dollars

• Military officials have acknowledged the growing rate of accidents
• The Navy has reported accidents that total over $1 billion in damages since October 2014

Washington (CNN)A rash of recent military crashes has cost the lives of several service members as well as billions of dollars worth of damages. The wave of accidents has raised questions about the training of pilots and the maintenance of aircraft, with top brass pointing to slashed budgets and aging fleets strained by prolonged conflict.

Last week, an MH-60S helicopter crashed in the James River in Virginia during a training mission. Earlier this month, two F-16C fighter jets collided in the skies over Georgia.
F-16 Thunderbird crashes; pilot taken to hospital

F-16 Thunderbird crashes; pilot taken to hospital 00:51
In the first incident all of the helicopter crew were rescued and in the second the two South Carolina Air National Guard pilots managed to safely eject. But a few days earlier, a Blue Angels pilot was killed when his jet crashed. An Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron jet crashed the same day, but that pilot managed to successfully eject.

Revelation of March ISIS battle highlights risks for U.S. troops
During congressional testimony in March, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. John Paxton, acknowledged the growing rate of accidents.

"We are concerned about an increasing number of aircraft mishaps and accidents," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He blamed funding shortfalls for the increase, saying, "If you don't have the money and you don't have the parts and you don't have the maintenance, then you fly less."
He continued, "If you fly less and maintain slower, there's a higher likelihood of accidents. So, we're worried."