RUSHING TO FAILURE

Washington Post: An official investigation into the causes of the latest crash of the Marines' V-22 Osprey has strengthened the evidence that the aircraft was rushed through development and testing by senior commanders who ignored or even suppressed evidence that the helicopter-airplane hybrid simply is not safe to fly. The Pentagon probe found that the Dec. 11 crash, which killed four crew members, was caused by a hydraulics failure, compounded by a software glitch; the underlying problem, chafing of hydraulic lines by nearby wire bundles, was identified in 1999 but never resolved. After the accident, the same problem was found in all eight of the Marines' remaining Ospreys.
Several Osprey pilots involved in the investigation told The Washington Post that the flaws were not addressed because the Marines were too intent on winning Pentagon approval for the aircraft to go into full production. That sounds right; after all, another Pentagon investigation already is examining allegations that the chief of the Osprey training squadron told his crews to falsify maintenance records, possibly with the encouragement of senior Marine commanders. And the accident report pointed out that even the formal plan for testing the V-22 was set up to meet a timeline, rather than to satisfy performance criteria. Taken together, the evidence points to the disturbing possibility that Marine officers knowingly subjected Osprey crews to increased risk of an accident rather than compromise their procurement goal -- with tragic results. As the investigations proceed, it is essential that the commanders involved in those decisions be held accountable.
Bleak future: With a blue-ribbon panel studying its viability even as the Bush administration looks for weapons programs it can modify or kill, the future of the Osprey now looks bleak. Vice President Cheney already tried to kill the program a decade ago when he was defense secretary. Perhaps that's appropriate; many defense experts believe that, even if it were problem-free, there is little justification for buying all 360 of the V-22s the Marines want, at a cost of $40 billion. Still, the Marines do need new transport aircraft, and some of the missions they may be needed for require speed and range beyond that of conventional helicopters. It's also true that new aircraft often crash while in development, but later prove reliable in practice once flaws are worked out. That's not to say that production of the Osprey should go forward at this point -- it shouldn't unless and until all technical problems are resolved and the craft proves it is safe.
As the Bush administration contemplates a major effort to expand and accelerate the missile defense program, it would do well to remember the lessons of the Osprey.