WASHINGTON -- Senators on Capitol Hill blasted the Air Force top brass Monday for its handling of a string of rapes at the Air Force Academy.

The criticism grew more sharp after the Air Force released documents that show top-ranking academy officials have been aware of the sexual assault problem there for years, 7NEWS reported.

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Air Force Secretary James Roche and Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper were barraged with angry questions about who should be held responsible for the scandal.

"This crisis goes straight to the core values of the institution. Let's be honest -- this has been a catastrophic failure of leadership and process," Sen. Wayne Allard said at the hearing.

As is his custom, Allard, who has taken the lead in cleaning up the mess at the academy, was firm but measured in his approach, 7NEWS Investigative reporter John Ferrugia said.

Other senators didn't follow suit.

"It is abundantly clear that the secretary of the Air Force has proved himself totally incapable of handling the problem," said Sen. John McCain.

"We also have a clear pattern where it seems to me that no one is going to be held accountable for the climate that has made young women cadets fearful of reporting or leads to reprisal if they do," said Sen. Susan Collins.

Many of the senators had sponsored cadets to the Air Force Academy and were incensed that the Air Force secretary and its top general were not willing to blame the current academy leadership for a climate of accepting sexual assault.

"Something was done improperly before they got there and they continue to do things improperly. Therefore, they're off the hook? No. They're not. No way," said Sen. Carl Levin.

But while angry, none lost control as the senator from Minnesota.

"To me this is shameful that it happens and even more shameful that the academy and the people in charge there let it happen and just now, even now ... there's lip service to caring about things ... but (they) don't do a damn thing about it," said a shaken Sen. Mark Dayton.

Just how shameful became even more evident when the Air Force finally released surveys taken among cadets at the academy -- surveys that 7NEWS has been requesting for weeks.

Air Force officials claim many are not valid because only a few hundred of the 4,000 cadets responded.

But the raw numbers are clear:

In 1997: 19 women of the 127 who responded said they were sexually assaulted while at the academy -- 13 of those in the previous year.
In 1998: 22 cadets of the 500 responding said they were sexually assaulted. No gender noted.
In 2000: 17 cadets of the 314 reported being assaulted. No gender noted.
In 2001: 167 cadets of the more than 2,000 who responded said they had been sexually assaulted at the academy -- many more than once.
In 2002: 56 women said they were sexually assaulted as well as 24 men.

In every year surveyed, most assaults occurred in dorms rooms or somewhere on the Air Force Academy campus.

"People in charge should have picked up those numbers and realized there was a problem. Somebody needs to be held responsible. They were in charge and it seems clear they should be held responsible," Allard said.

To make sure the system is fixed, the committee seemed intent on appointing an outside, independent team which would include civilian experts in the area of sexual assault. Several senators say they have little confidence the Air Force can make necessary changes on its own.