The DOD has its own investigation process which is detailed and regulated by each service. Any fatal serious injury accident or substantial damage is investigated in a Safety Investigation Board (SIB) usually under a O-6 or O-7 grade officer. Just like an NTSB investigation the Board President can accredit subject matter experts, outside contractors, JAGs to interview, gather data, etc. The SIB runs under a tighter timeline than an NTSB investigation, usually the report is due within 90 days, but obviously that’s subject to the complexity of the mishap. The report is “privileged” releasable only within the service, generally only within the Major Command in the USAF. It is NOT public released. The SIB recommendations do not include disciplinary or administrative actions for DoD members. It cannot be used in the courts. The MAJCOM commander is usually briefed in a meeting without coffee or cookies. It’s a tense briefing.
At some point during the SIB, the command convenes an Accident Investigation Board (AIB), also run by a senior officer. The AIB can use factual data from the SIB, but must conduct its own interviews, on scene investigations, etc, to ensure its independence from the SIB. The AIB report is releasable, may recommend disciplinary or administrative actions, may have recommendations to outside contractors or suppliers. Being public, it can be used in court actions, FEB or courts martial.
The Congressional “privileged” status came out in the 50s when the military accident was astronomical and needed a process to establish what happened and what actions could prevent a repeat mishap. The privilege took away anyone’s Article 31 rights, basically everyone had immunity in the SIB process but not in the AIB process. You get “rights” read to you in a AIB and a Defense Counsel is offered.
I would guess the Army is or will run an AIB as there’s, at least, the possibility of disciplinary actions or specific recommendations for regulatory changes that must come out of a military process, as the NTSB cannot issue recommendations to the military authority. It might just be an echo of the NTSB report.
This mishap maybe the first since the Ron Brown accident in FRY where the NTSB was involved, mostly for political reasons. The AIB ripped a bunch of officers new orifices ending their careers. I believe, at least one flag officer retired as a Major or Lt. Col.
BTW, the military uses “mishap” to indicate the crash was preventable whereas “accident” implies God reached down and just took them out. I always laugh cynically at the news of a car accident where it’s written like it was the driver became a passenger and had no agency. Car went out of control. No, the driver was (fill in the blank) and crashed the car.