United States General Accounting Office

GAO Report to the Secretary of Defense

October 1998 MILITARY SAFETY

Analysis of DOD’s

On-duty Non-aviation

Accident Fatalities

GAO/NSIAD-99-14

GAO United States

General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

National Security and

International Affairs Division

B-280749 

October 16, 1998

The Honorable William S. Cohen

The Secretary of Defense

Dear Mr. Secretary:

This report provides our analysis of Department of Defense (DOD) military

personnel fatalities during 1988 through 1996 as a result of on-duty,

non-aviation accidents.1

 Specifically, we assessed (1) the causes of

non-aviation fatalities, (2) the types of activities involved in these fatal

accidents, and (3) trends in DOD and service on-duty accidental fatalities.

In July 1997, you requested that the DOD Inspector General evaluate all

noncombatant deaths involving DOD personnel. Because we had already

gathered data for on-duty accidental deaths, we agreed with the Inspector

General’s office to report on these accidents while it reported on off-duty

accidents that occurred during the same time period. In June 1998, the DOD

Inspector General issued its report.2

Background On-duty accidents involve DOD military personnel who are performing

officially assigned duties in noncombatant situations.3

 These duties

include training, travel, activities that are incidental to assignments on DOD

installations, compulsory physical training and sports activities, and all

activities aboard vessels. Each of the services has a safety center that

investigates fatal and other serious accidents. These centers are the Naval

Safety Center, Norfolk, Virginia, which also serves the Marine Corps; the

Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; and the

Army Safety Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama. The services also maintain

their own databases of information on aviation and non-aviation accidents.

Aviation accidents are flight or flight-related mishaps; non-aviation

accidents include ground and afloat mishaps.4

1

We have previously reported on aviation-related accidents. See Military Aircraft Safety: Serious

Accidents Remain at Historically Low Levels (GAO/NSIAD-98-95BR, Mar. 23, 1998) and Military

Aircraft Safety: Significant Improvements Since 1975 (GAO/NSIAD-96-69BR, Feb. 1, 1996).

2

Accidental Off-Duty Deaths in DOD, Report number 98-153, June 15, 1998.

3

Off-duty accidents involve DOD military personnel who are not in an on-duty status, are on leave,

have departed their work location, are driving to and from work, or are participating in voluntary

sports activities. According to the DOD Inspector General’s report, 4,698 DOD military personnel died

between 1988 and 1996 as a result of off-duty accidents.

4

Non-aviation accidents also include those aircraft-related mishaps in which the fatalities or injuries

were caused by another service’s aircraft.

Page 1 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
B-280749 

Between 1988 and 1996, 2,092 DOD military personnel died in on-duty

accidents. Of these fatalities, 984 (47 percent) occurred due to aviation

accidents and 1,108 (53 percent) resulted from non-aviation accidents. Of

the non-aviation accidents, 941 (85 percent) occurred on the ground, and

167 (15 percent) were afloat.5

Results in Brief Military vehicles were the leading cause of the 1,108 DOD military

personnel fatalities that were attributable to on-duty, non-aviation

accidents from 1988 to 1996.6

 Vehicle accidents accounted for 466, or

42 percent, of these fatalities and resulted in more on-duty deaths than any

other type of accident in each of the services except the Navy.

Furthermore, Army vehicle accidents were responsible for 333 deaths, or

30 percent of DOD’s non-aviation fatalities and 71 percent of DOD’s vehicle

accident fatalities. The causes for the remaining 642 fatalities included

accidents with explosives and weapons, parachuting, physical training,

and other ground and sea activities.

Military training activities were involved in 500 of the 1,108 on-duty

accidental fatalities. Of these fatalities, 454 resulted from accidents

involving individual or unit training, combat exercises, or afloat

operations. The remaining 46 fatalities involved students in the services’

training school programs, such as initial recruit, infantry, and airborne

training, as well as Navy Seal and Army Ranger qualification training. The

other 608 on-duty accidental fatalities occurred in other activities, such as

peace operations and maintenance and repair of vehicles and equipment.

DOD’s on-duty, non-aviation accident fatality rate declined about 42 percent

between 1988 and 1996, from 4.3 to 2.5 deaths per 100,000 non-aviation

military personnel. This decline is largely due to a decrease in the DOD

vehicle accident fatality rate, from 1.9 to 1.0 deaths per 100,000

non-aviation military personnel. The annual number of fatalities fluctuated

over the period but declined overall, from 139 in 1988 to 58 in 1996. The

overall fatality rate and the annual vehicle fatality rate decreased for the

Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps, but increased for the Air Force.

Appendixes I through III present detailed information on the results of our

analysis.

5

These percentages have been rounded.

6

Military vehicles include tactical vehicles, such as M1 Abrams Tanks, Bradley Infantry Fighting

Vehicles, High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, and 2.5- and 5-ton trucks, and nontactical

vehicles, such as buses, vans, and cars.

Page 2 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
B-280749 

Agency Comments In written comments on a draft of this report, DOD stated that it was

pleased with our in-depth analysis of its safety performance, and noted

that our analysis substantiated what the Department’s internal oversight

has observed over the years. The Department also stated that it is proud of

its accomplishments to date but recognizes that there is much yet to do

because even one accident is too many. DOD’s comments appear in their

entirety in appendix IV.

Scope and

Methodology

To analyze DOD on-duty accidental deaths, we obtained

computer-processed accident and injury data from Army, Air Force, and

Navy safety centers for 1987 through 1996. Each center provided computer

records of all on-duty accidents that involved active or reserve Army, Air

Force, Navy, or Marine Corps military personnel and resulted in a fatality,

permanent total or permanent partial disability injury. We excluded from

our review all accidents that (1) involved only property damage;

(2) occurred in 1987 because detailed records for that year were

incomplete or not readily available; and (3) were classified as

nonreportable mishaps, as defined in DOD Instruction 6055.7.7

To validate the number of accidents and fatalities, we conducted a

computer-assisted analysis of 1,469 accidents. For each of the 1,469

accidents, we reviewed the services’ accident narrative descriptions and

other information and independently derived (1) the primary factors

causing or contributing to the accidents and resulting fatalities and (2) the

types of training and nontraining activities at the time of the accidents.

From this information we determined accident causes and the activities

involved when the accident occurred. We counted accidents as

training-related if they were directly or indirectly related to unit training

activities, required physical training, combat exercises, or service training

school programs. We also counted as training-related all Navy afloat

fatalities.

We calculated non-aviation fatalities per 100,000 military personnel based

on data obtained from DOD’s Defense Manpower Data Center. The data we

used to calculate non-aviation fatality rates consisted of each service’s

total active and reserve yearly end strength for 1988 through 1996, less air

crew personnel. DOD established the Manpower Data Center to collect and

maintain accurate, readily available DOD-wide manpower and personnel

data. The data are used to support the management information needs of

customers both inside and outside DOD.

7

Examples of nonreportable mishaps include hostile or terrorist acts, nuclear substances, and suicides.

Page 3 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
B-280749 

We conducted our review from April 1997 to June 1998 in accordance with

generally accepted government auditing standards.

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional

committees and Members of Congress; the Secretaries of the Army, the

Navy, and the Air Force; and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. We

will also make copies available to other interested parties on request.

Please contact me on (202) 512-5140 if you or your staff have any

questions concerning this report. Major contributors to this report are

Carol R. Schuster; Reginald L. Furr, Jr.; Kevin C. Handley; and

Gerald L. Winterlin.

Sincerely yours,

Mark E. Gebicke

Director, Military Operations

 and Capabilities Issues

Page 4 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Page 5 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Contents

Letter 1

Appendixes Appendix I: Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related to

Non-aviation Accidents

8

Appendix II: Non-aviation Fatalities in Training-related Accidents 15

Appendix III: Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

18

Appendix IV: Comments From the Department of Defense 25

Tables Table I.1: On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents by Service,

1988-96

9

Table I.2: Army On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents,

1988-96

10

Table I.3: Navy On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents,

1988-96

12

Table I.4: Marine Corps On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation

Accidents, 1988-96

13

Table I.5: Air Force On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents,

1988-96

14

Table II.1: Service Fatalities in Non-aviation Training-related

Accidents, 1988-96

17

Table III.1: Rates of On-duty Fatalities From Non-aviation

Accidents by Service

20

Table III.2: Rates of On-duty Fatalities in Military Vehicle

Accidents by Service

23

Figures Figure I.1: DOD On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents,

1988-96

8

Figure II.1: DOD Non-aviation Fatalities Related to Training and

Nontraining Activities, 1988-96

16

Figure III.1: Annual Number of DOD On-duty Fatalities From

Non-aviation Accidents, 1988-96

18

Figure III.2: DOD Rate of On-duty Fatalities From Non-aviation

Accidents, 1988-96

19

Figure III.3: Annual Number of DOD On-duty Fatalities in Military

Vehicle Accidents

21

Figure III.4: DOD Rate of On-duty Fatalities in Military Vehicle

Accidents

22

Figure III.5: Annual Number of DOD Non-aviation Fatalities in

Training and Nontraining Accidents

24

Page 6 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Contents

Abbreviations

DOD Department of Defense

Page 7 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Between 1988 and 1996, there were 1,108 Department of Defense (DOD)

on-duty fatalities that resulted from non-aviation accidents. Military

vehicles were the leading cause of these fatalities, causing more on-duty

fatalities than all other types of accidents in all but one of the services.1

 Of

the 1,108 fatalities, 466, or about 42 percent, resulted from accidents

involving tactical and non-tactical tracked and wheeled vehicles. The

second leading cause of DOD on-duty accidental fatalities were explosives

or explosions, which accounted for 106, or about 10 percent, of the

fatalities. Other causes of the fatalities included drowning; aircraft-related

mishaps; and accidents involving weapons, physical training, and

parachuting. Figure I.1 shows the overall number and causes of DOD

on-duty accident fatalities for 1988 through 1996, and table I.1 shows this

information by military service.

Figure I.1: DOD On-duty Fatalities in

Non-aviation Accidents, 1988-96

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Military vehicles

Explosion

Drowning

Aircraft related

Other

Parachuting

Physical training

Weapons

466

106

96

71

194

43

64

68

Note: Other includes fire and steam mishaps, equipment-related accidents, electrocutions, falls,

and maintenance and repair activities.

1

The DOD Inspector General’s report stated that motor vehicle accidents were also the leading cause

of DOD off-duty accidental deaths, accounting for 81 percent of the 4,698 fatalities between 1988 and

1996.

Page 8 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Table I.1: On-duty Fatalities in

Non-aviation Accidents by Service,

1988-96 Cause Army Navy

Marine

Corps Air Force Total Percent

Military vehicle 333 30 64 39 466 42.1

Explosion 34 53 15 4 106 9.6

Drowning 22 65 9 0 96 8.7

Aircraft-related 60 4 0 7 71 6.4

Weapon 31 2 34 1 68 6.1

Physical training 5 27 32 0 64 5.8

Parachuting 37 2 3 1 43 3.9

Fire or steam 0 26 0 2 28 2.5

Equipment 14 9 2 2 27 2.4

Electrocution 7 8 3 7 25 2.3

Fall 3 14 2 2 21 1.9

Maintenance/repair 13 2 0 1 16 1.4

Othera 43 24 7 3 77 6.9

Total 602 266 171 69 1,108 100.0

Note: Percentages have been rounded.

aOther causes and activities include lightning, sporting events, hypothermia, swim training, snow

skiing, scuba diving, and water vehicles.

Army Of the 602 fatalities in Army on-duty accidents during 1988 through 1996,

333, or 55.3 percent, resulted from military vehicle accidents. In fact, Army

vehicle accidents were responsible for 71 percent of DOD’s 466 total

military vehicle fatalities and 30 percent of DOD’s 1,108 total non-aviation

on-duty accident fatalities. Other leading causes of Army on-duty

accidental fatalities included aircraft-related mishaps and parachuting.

Table I.2 shows the Army’s on-duty accident fatalities for 1988 through

1996.

Page 9 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Table I.2: Army On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents, 1988-96

Cause 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Total Percent

Military vehicle 40 41 45 70 30 34 17 44 12 333 55.3

Aircraft related 1 11 2 1 5 1 37 1 1 60 10.0

Parachuting 4 8 8 2 2 2 4 3 4 37 6.1

Explosion 3 5 3 14 2 2 1 1 3 34 5.6

Weapon 5 1 6 7 2 5 3 2 0 31 5.1

Drowning 2 4 2 6 2 3 2 1 0 22 3.7

Equipment 8 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 14 2.3

Maintenance/repair 3 3 1 0 2 0 2 0 2 13 2.2

Electrocution 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 7 1.2

Lightning 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 7 1.2

Physical training 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 0.8

Hypothermia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 0.7

Fall 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0.5

Sporting event 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.5

Snow skiing 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 3 0.5

Other 4 1 4 7 1 4 3 0 2 26 4.3

Total 76 79 77 110 49 53 72 60 26 602 100.0

Note: Percentages have been rounded.

The Army considered 60 of the 602 fatalities to be non-aviation,

aircraft-related accidents rather than aviation accidents because of the

circumstances of the accidents. For example, 48 Army fatalities occurred

in three accidents involving Air Force aircraft. In 1989, 11 Army personnel

en route to boarder patrol operations died as their Air Force helicopter

crashed in Arizona. In 1994, a midair collision between two Air Force

aircraft killed 24 Army parachuters preparing to board an aircraft, and two

Army helicopters were mistakenly shot down and destroyed by an Air

Force aircraft in Southwest Asia, resulting in 13 Army fatalities. For these

accidents, the Army counted its fatalities and injuries as non-aviation

related because Air Force aircraft were responsible. Army parachuting

accidents accounted for 37 of DOD’s 43 parachuting fatalities. Other leading

causes of Army fatalities were explosions or explosives, weapons,

drowning, equipment, and maintenance/repair.

Page 10 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Navy Ashore accidents accounted for 99 of the 266 Navy on-duty accidental

fatalities, and afloat activities aboard Navy vessels accounted for 167 of

the fatalities. Military vehicle accidents accounted for about 30 percent of

all ashore fatalities but only 11 percent of the total number of Navy

on-duty accident fatalities. Other ashore fatalities included 26 due to

heart-related problems resulting from physical training activities, such as

exercising and running, and 14 due to drowning.

Three accidents accounted for 78, or almost one-half of all 167 afloat

fatalities. The 1989 gun turret explosion aboard the Navy battleship Iowa

resulted in 47 deaths, 21 sailors drowned in 1990 when their boat capsized,

and a steam leak accident also in 1990 caused 10 fatalities. Explosions

resulted in a total of 52 afloat fatalities, drowning caused 51 fatalities, and

fire or steam-related accidents accounted for 26 fatalities. Table I.3 shows

Navy ashore and afloat accident fatalities for 1988 through 1996.

Page 11 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Table I.3: Navy On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents, 1988-96

Cause 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Total Percent

Ashore

Military vehicle 9 3 2 2 4 4 0 4 2 30 30.3

Physical training 3 2 1 4 5 1 2 3 5 26 26.3

Drowning 2 2 1 4 0 2 2 0 1 14 14.1

Fall 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 5 5.1

Aircraft related 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 4.0

Electrocution 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 4.0

Sporting event 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 4.0

Swim training 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4.0

Parachuting 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2.0

Water vehicle 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2.0

Explosion 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1.0

Fire or steam 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1.0

Other 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2.0

Subtotal 20 12 6 14 12 9 6 9 11 99 100.0

Afloat

Explosion 3 47 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 52 31.1

Drowning 4 10 24 2 5 0 4 0 2 51 30.6

Fire or steam 0 9 14 1 2 0 0 0 0 26 15.6

Fall 0 0 2 2 1 2 0 0 2 9 5.4

Equipment 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 8 4.8

Electrocution 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 2.4

Water vehicle 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1.8

Maintenance/repair 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1.2

Scuba diving 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1.2

Weapon 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1.2

Physical training 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.6

Other 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 7 4.2

Subtotal 12 70 42 7 16 4 6 5 5 167 100.0

Total 32 82 48 21 28 13 12 14 16 266 100.0

Note: Percentages have been rounded.

Page 12 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Marine Corps Vehicle accidents resulted in 64, or 37 percent, of the 171 Marine Corps

on-duty fatalities. Weapon-related mishaps, including live weapon fire

training exercises, accidental weapon discharge while cleaning, horseplay,

and mishandling of weapons, caused 34 fatalities. Another 32 fatalities

were due to heart-related problems associated with physical training

activities, including exercising, running, and marching. Accidents involving

explosives, drownings, and various other causes accounted for the

remaining fatalities. Table I.4 shows the Marine Corps on-duty accident

fatalities for 1988 through 1996.

Table I.4: Marine Corps On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents, 1988-96

Cause 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Total Percent

Military vehicle 8 5 3 23 8 4 4 3 6 64 37.4

Weapon 5 5 4 7 3 5 0 4 1 34 19.9

Physical training 5 3 4 5 2 4 2 6 1 32 18.7

Explosion 4 0 2 6 0 0 2 1 0 15 8.8

Drowning 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 9 5.3

Electrocution 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 1.7

Parachuting 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1.7

Equipment 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1.2

Fall 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1.2

Lightning 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.6

Other 2 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 6 3.5

Total 27 15 16 44 17 16 11 16 9 171 100.0

Note: Percentages have been rounded.

Air Force Vehicle accidents were responsible for 39, or 56 percent, of the 69 Air

Force on-duty non-aviation fatalities. Aircraft-related accidents and

electrocutions caused seven fatalities each. The remaining 16 fatalities

resulted from explosions, equipment-related accidents, and various other

causes. Table I.5 shows the Air Force on-duty accident fatalities for 1988

through 1996.

Page 13 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix I 

Causes of On-duty Military Fatalities Related

to Non-aviation Accidents

Table I.5: Air Force On-duty Fatalities in Non-aviation Accidents, 1988-96

Cause 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Total Percent

Military vehicle 3 7 3 3 5 5 6 3 4 39 56.5

Aircraft related 0 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 7 10.1

Electrocution 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 7 10.1

Explosion 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 5.8

Equipment 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 2.9

Fall 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 2.9

Fire 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2.9

Lightning 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1.4

Maintenance/repair 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1.4

Parachuting 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1.4

Weapon 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1.4

Other 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2.9

Total 4 13 4 10 6 13 8 4 7 69 100.0

Note: Percentages have been rounded.

Page 14 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix II 

Non-aviation Fatalities in Training-related

Accidents

Of the 1,108 DOD on-duty accident fatalities between 1988 and 1996, 500

occurred during training activities. In these accidents, 287 personnel died

during individual physical training, unit-level training activities, or combat

exercises, and 167 died in Navy afloat operations. The other 46 personnel

who died in training were students in the services’ training school

programs, including initial recruit, infantry, and airborne training; Navy

diving and swim training; and Navy Seal and Army Ranger qualification

training. The remaining 608 fatalities occurred in activities that are not

related to training, such as peace operations, routine maintenance and

repair, and vehicles transporting personnel and material.

As with overall DOD on-duty accidents, military vehicles were the leading

cause of training-related fatalities. Vehicle accidents caused 89, or about

18 percent, of the 500 training fatalities.1

 Drowning was the second leading

cause, resulting in 88, or over 17 percent, of the total training fatalities.

Explosions accounted for 75 training fatalities, and physical training

accounted for 63 fatalities. The remaining training fatalities were due to

various other causes, including parachuting, weapons, and fire or steam.

Figure II.1 compares the number of DOD on-duty fatalities that occurred

during training from 1988 through 1996 with the number that occurred in

all other activities. Table II.1 shows fatalities in training-related accidents

by service.

1

Vehicle accidents accounted for 377 of the 608 nontraining-related fatalities.

Page 15 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix II 

Non-aviation Fatalities in Training-related

Accidents

Figure II.1: DOD Non-aviation Fatalities Related to Training and Nontraining Activities, 1988-96

Vehicles

Drowning

Explosion

Physical training

Parachuting

Weapons

Fire or steam

Other

0

100

200

300

400

500

89 88

75

63

39 33 27

86

377

8

31

1 4

35

1

151

Number of fatalities

Training Nontraining

Note: Other includes equipment- and aircraft-related accidents, falls, electrocutions, hypothermia,

lightning, accidents involving maintenance and repair activities, swim training, snow skiing,

sporting events, water vehicles, and scuba diving.

Page 16 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix II 

Non-aviation Fatalities in Training-related

Accidents

Table II.1: Service Fatalities in

Non-aviation Training-related

Accidents, 1988-96 Cause Army Navy

Marine

Corps

Air

Force Total Percent

Military vehicle 72 0 15 2 89 17.8

Drowning 15 64 9 0 88 17.6

Explosion 15 53 6 1 75 15.0

Physical training 4 27 32 0 63 12.6

Parachuting 33 2 3 1 39 7.8

Weapon 20 2 10 1 33 6.6

Fire or steam 0 26 0 1 27 5.4

Equipment 5 8 2 0 15 3.0

Fall 1 10 2 0 13 2.6

Aircraft related 10 0 0 1 11 2.2

Electrocution 0 4 3 0 7 1.4

Hypothermia 4 0 0 0 4 0.8

Swim training 0 4 0 0 4 0.8

Maintenance/repair 1 2 0 0 3 0.6

Snow skiing 3 0 0 0 3 0.6

Sporting event 0 3 0 0 3 0.6

Water vehicle 0 3 0 0 3 0.6

Scuba diving 0 2 0 0 2 0.4

Lightning 0 0 1 0 1 0.2

Other 7 7 3 0 17 3.4

Total 190 217 86 7 500 100.0

Of the 89 fatalities in training-related vehicle accidents, 72 were in the

Army, 15 in the Marine Corps, and 2 in the Air Force. The fatalities

occurred during combat maneuvers and unit training exercises in

established training areas and roadways on and outside DOD installations.

Of the 88 training-related drowning fatalities, 64 were in the Navy,

including 21 in 1 afloat mishap. Of the 75 training-related fatalities

involving explosions or explosives, 47 were Navy personnel killed in the

gun turret explosion aboard the Iowa. The other 28 training-related

explosion fatalities occurred during service exercises involving demolition

activities, mines, hand grenades, and other explosives. Army accidents

accounted for 33 of 39 parachute training fatalities. Army and Marine

Corps accidents together accounted for 30 of the 33 weapons training

fatalities. Of the 63 physical training fatalities, 59 involved Navy and

Marine Corps personnel.

Page 17 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

The annual number of DOD fatalities in on-duty, non-aviation accidents

decreased from 139 in 1988 to 58 in 1996. From 1989 through 1991, there

were 519 DOD on-duty accident fatalities—about 47 percent of the 1,108

fatalities between 1988 and 1996. The 1989 explosion aboard the Navy

battleship Iowa accounted for 47 of the 189 DOD fatalities that year. The

increase in fatalities between 1990 and 1991 was largely the result of

increased Army and Marine Corps operating tempo associated with

Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Figure III.1 shows the annual

number of DOD on-duty accident fatalities for 1988 through 1996.

Figure III.1: Annual Number of DOD

On-duty Fatalities From Non-aviation

Accidents, 1988-96

1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0

50

100

150

200

250

139

189

145

185

100

95

103

94

58

Number of fatalities

Page 18 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

DOD’s rate for the number of on-duty accident fatalities per 100,000

non-aviation military personnel also declined overall, from about 4.3 in

1988 to 2.5 in 1996. The rate fluctuated during this time, ranging from a

high of 6.1 in 1991 to a low of 2.5 in 1996. The rate of on-duty accident

fatalities varied in each of the services. The overall rates for the Army, the

Navy, and the Marine Corps all declined between 1988 and 1996, but the

Air Force’s rate—the lowest of all the services—increased during this

time. Figure III.2 shows DOD’s rate for the number of on-duty accident

fatalities per 100,000 non-aviation military personnel. Table III.1 shows this

information by service.

Figure III.2: DOD Rate of On-duty

Fatalities From Non-aviation

Accidents, 1988-96

1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Fatalities per 100,000 DOD non-aviation military personnel

Page 19 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

Table III.1: Rates of On-duty Fatalities

From Non-aviation Accidents by

Service Service

Fatalities per 100,000 of each services non-aviation military personnel

Year Army Navy

Marine

Corps Air Force

1988 5.0 4.5 11.5 0.6

1989 5.2 11.5 6.4 1.8

1990 5.3 6.9 6.8 0.6

1991 7.6 3.0 18.9 1.5

1992 3.7 4.3 7.7 0.9

1993 4.3 2.1 7.5 2.1

1994 6.1 2.1 5.3 1.4

1995 5.5 2.7 7.6 0.7

1996 2.4 3.3 4.3 1.3

Note: Numbers have been rounded.

The annual number of DOD fatalities in military vehicle accidents

decreased from 60 in 1988 to 24 in 1996. From 1989 to 1991, there were 207

vehicle fatalities—over 44 percent of all such fatalities for 1988 through

1996. Similarly, the rate of on-duty fatalities per 100,000 non-aviation

personnel in military vehicle accidents declined about 50 percent, from 1.9

in 1988 to 1.0 in 1996. The vehicle fatality rate ranged from a high of 3.2 in

1991 during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm to a low of about

1.0 in 1996. Figures III.3 and III.4 show the annual number and rate,

respectively, of DOD on-duty fatalities in military vehicle accidents for 1988

through 1996.

Page 20 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

Figure III.3: Annual Number of DOD

On-duty Fatalities in Military Vehicle

Accidents

1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

60

56

53

98

47 47

27

54

24

Number of fatalities

Page 21 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

Figure III.4: DOD Rate of On-duty

Fatalities in Military Vehicle Accidents

1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Fatalities per 100,000 DOD non-aviation military personnel

Between 1988 and 1996, the rate of military vehicle accident fatalities per

100,000 non-aviation personnel varied by service. As with the services’

on-duty accidental fatality rates, the military vehicle accident rate

decreased for the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps but increased

slightly for the Air Force. Table III.2 shows the services’ rates of on-duty

fatalities in military vehicle accidents for 1988 through 1996.

Page 22 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

Table III.2: Rates of On-duty Fatalities

in Military Vehicle Accidents by

Service Service

Fatalities per 100,000 of each services non-aviation military personnel

Year Army Navy

Marine

Corps Air Force

1988 2.6 1.3 3.4 0.4

1989 2.7 0.4 2.1 1.0

1990 3.1 0.3 1.3 0.4

1991 4.9 0.3 9.9 0.4

1992 2.3 0.6 3.6 0.8

1993 2.8 0.7 1.9 0.8

1994 1.4 0.0 1.9 1.0

1995 4.0 0.8 1.4 0.5

1996 1.1 0.4 2.8 0.7

Note: Numbers have been rounded.

The number of DOD fatalities in training-related accidents decreased from

68 in 1988 to 29 in 1996. Likewise, the number of fatalities in other

activities, such as peace operations and routine maintenance and repair,

decreased from 71 to 29 during the same time. Figure III.5 shows this

information.

Page 23 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix III 

Trends in DOD On-duty Fatalities Due to

Non-aviation Accidents

Figure III.5: Annual Number of DOD Non-aviation Fatalities in Training and Nontraining Accidents

1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

0

50

100

150

200

68

114

81

38

60

41

31

38

29

71 75

64

147

40

54

72

56

29

Number of fatalities

Training Nontraining

Page 24 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
Appendix IV 

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(703180) Page 25 GAO/NSIAD-99-14 Military Safety
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