Aircrew and Ground Injury Rates in U.S. Naval Aviation: 2015-2025.

Rice, G Merrill; McCombs, Matthew; Erpenbach, Jonathan D; Linnville, Steven E · J Occup Environ Med · 2026

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Abstract

Our primary aim was to compare the naval aviation injury rates between fiscal years (FY) 2015-2019 and 2021-2025, specifically separating aircrew and ground crew exposure. Using data from the Naval Safety Command's Risk Management Information System, we analyzed all mishap and hazard reports for injuries to calculate injury rates based on flight and maintenance hours. Ground crew injury rates significantly increased from 0.5 (FY15-19) to 1.8 (FY21-25) injuries per 100,000 maintenance hours (p <. 001). Class A injury rate per 100K flight hours was significantly higher for Marines, 4.66 compared to Navy 1.95 (p <.001). Demographic and service differences observed are largely due to expanded definitions of injury in 2020. The updated ground crew injury rate now aligns with civilian transportation support industry estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.