[Dan Day]

Interesting to see where this leads. the AC in question had an 'a-check' the day prior with no problems found....

I have to wonder what sort of activities that type of inspection involves, and whether it's possible that some thing(s) had been loosened or removed for inspection, and then mistakenly put back together improperly (or not at all).

There was a case a decade or two ago where several aircraft of a certain type went down, until it was discovered that it was possible to accidentally REVERSE two control wires when reassembling a part after routine inspection/replacement. This caused the rudder (or maybe it was the ailerons, it's been a while) to act *opposite* of the pilot's instructions, resulting in a quick crash after takeoff.

[Solson]

an 'a-check' is typically a look-see, basically a cursory overview to notice anything really obvious. However, it does give access to the plane by many. Observing a bold connection through an access panel wouldn't be out of the question.

[Freakazoid]

A-Check is like an oil change. B-Check is like a tune-up. C-Check is pull the engines and such.

[Old Student]

Believe you'll find that was an F-15 in Germany, mid-90's. (and if not the one you had in mind, still quite similar.) If so, it was a known problem that hadn't been addressed properly, if at all. Most sensible comment I've seen on this thread is "But it's foolish to say it "surely must be" at this point."

I have most of a decade of experience photographing aircraft accidents for the Air Force, and nearly two years as an F-111D mechanic. The main problem with heavier-than-air flight is those darn things are heavier than air.