Composite energy absorbers play a critical role in enhancing crashworthiness performance of modern aircraft by dissipating impact energy through complex failure mechanisms. However, their performance is susceptible to degradation due to manufacturing defects and elevated strain rates typically experienced during survivable crash events. This investigation experimentally evaluated two composite energy absorber geometries: corrugated beams and c-channel stanchions which were fabricated using two material systems and stacking sequences. Manufacturing defects, including out-of-plane fiber waviness (wrinkles) and delaminations, were intentionally introduced at specific laminate locations. Damage evolution, failure modes, and strain localization were analyzed using high-speed digital image correlation (DIC) under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions (0.01, 1, and 100 in/s). The results demonstrated that wrinkle defects significantly reduced energy absorption capacity and triggered unstable failure modes, with behavior varying based on strain rate. However, delaminations had minimal influence on crushing stability. These findings emphasized the importance of considering both defect characteristics and strain rates when designing and certifying composite components for aircraft energy absorption applications.