Posted on 11/05/2007 5:46:00 PM PST by RDTF
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A mandatory grounding of Air Force F-15s has been expanded to cover those flying combat missions over Afghanistan after a crash in Missouri last week, Air Force officials said Monday.
The F-15Es in Afghanistan can fly only in emergency situations to protect U.S. and coalition troops in a battle, according to Maj. John Elolf, a spokesman for the U.S. Air Force Central Command.
Maj. Cristin Marposon, an Air Force spokeswoman, told The Associated Press the country's fleet of 676 F-15s, including mission critical jets, was grounded on November 3 for "airworthiness concerns" after the crash of an older model F-15C on Friday.
-snip-
A spokeswoman for Boeing, the aircraft's manufacturer, told AP the company was cooperating with the Air Force but could not provide additional comment because of the pending investigation.
Col. Robert Leeker, commander of the 131st Fighter Wing, said Friday the plane had been among four planes split into pairs and were engaging in one-on-one training flights in which speeds of 400 to 450 mph are typical, according to AP.
A pilot, a 10-year veteran of the guard whose name and rank were not released, safely ejected from the aircraft when it crashed in Dent County, Missouri, AP reported. The pilot suffered a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm and minor cuts and bruises.
Now only "mission critical" F-15s will fly.
Pentagon officials said the U.S. Navy has had to move the only aircraft carrier in the region from the Persian Gulf to the North Arabian Sea to fill mission gaps for the F-15s.
Several dozen F/A-18 fighters from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise will fly missions with other Air Force aircraft to fill mission gaps.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
If the Pukin Dog was still with us he would say “I told you so”
But he isn’t, so “I told you so.” :)
The Eagle may be getting a little too long in the tooth.
Where is Pukin’?
This is the actual title of the article
***
Air Force grounds F-15s in Afghanistan after Missouri crash
***
I was looking for references to “break up in flight,” and couldn’t find any.
It should be amended to reflect the actual title, IMO.
ML/NJ
why did you do a search? I didn’t alter the title, (look at the home page) but if the title now says that then it can be corrected.
“Banned or Suspended”...I’d also noticed his absence the last couple of months or so.
“I was looking for references to “break up in flight,” and couldn’t find any.”
If I understand correctly...it is in there in the linked article;
check fourth paragraph.
i.e.,
“Air Force officials said it was a structural failure and the plane broke apart in flight.”
'Nobody by that name.'
Because I wanted to read the whole article, I clicked
on the link ... and this is the title of the article now.
They must’ve changed it.
Air Force grounds F-15s in Afghanistan after Missouri crash
If you do a search for his screen name you will find his last posts where he wrote that he was POed and quitting FR.
And he hasn’t been seen on this forum since.
I always wondered if there was something else going on in his life to trigger him off.
yea they probably changed it, it was new to begin with
ping
Please use the original title.
The plane broke up in flight?
Funny but from the looks of the wreckage it went straight in and burned.
Eyewitness accounts said they heard a “fluttering” like noise followed by a loud boom with black smoke trailing from the aircraft.
It sounds to me as if it sucked in a bird and damaged an engine (fluttering sound = possible compressor stall?) the loud boom would be the turbines failing.
But we’ll have to wait a year or more before the investigation is complete.
The grounding of the F-15E Strike Eagles do not make any sense since they are newer airframes.
Reading the Airforce Times online edition, they mentioned the following:
“The grounding announcement comes at the same time Air Force leaders continue to press Congress for more F-22A Raptors, the stealth jet replacing the F-15 Eagle at many bases, and permission to retire a host of older bombers, tankers and transports.”
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/11/airforce_f15grounding_071104/
You don't think it had to do with the Rudy supporters he liked getting the boot?
Years ago, when an Aloha Airlines 737 came apart mid-air, Boeing and the FAA did extensive researh as to the cause of the accident. In that case, the airframe was preserved because the plane made a safe landing on Maui, less the top front section.
Many of those models were checked/modified and continued to fly, granted, not at 400-500 mph.
I wonder if simialr checks are being made/modified for airworthiness on the remaining F-15s
Where did the Dog go ......Banned or worse ?
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